“I haven’t lost my mind, I know exactly where I left it.”
~~ gigoid, et al, Monday, 2018 ~~
Day the Next…
For a long time, I began each post here at ECR with the word, “Hajime”, which is uttered to begin any Japanese martial arts contest. Today, it holds some poignant meaning, as it has been some time since I last posted, or, for that matter, wrote anything other than a haiku. In point of fact, it’s been 30 days since my last post, & that was a re-blog of an older post. A good portion of the time was spent fighting illness, (an all-too=familiar occupation these days, along with the concomitant inability to heal as quickly as when I was younger & in better condition…), but, mostly, I was just not interested in anything but my own inner promptings, none of which were particularly scholarly, or particularly productive, in any sense…. SIGH, ah well, such is life in the big city, ffolkes. I offer no excuses, or apologies….
I do, however, have the necessary parts of a complete Pearl of Virtual Wisdom to offer today, with a semi-serious vow to follow in the near future with further ramblings from the ego-driven consciousness I call my mind, dubious as it may be. For today’s post, I’ll forgo any further attempts to either explain, or justify, & just get on with posting it. At least I’ll see if there is still anyone out there still interested in such displays of…. well, whatever they may be. If nobody comes to call, well, so be it; it’s only cyberspace, & nobody will hear me if I weep. I won’t, though I may wish to. What I will do is this: post, & be damned, even if only by faint praises. In fact, why don’t I just go ahead & do that, with no further nonsense, or sense? Purpose will have to suffice today, & we’ll see what happens in the future. For now….
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 ~~
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Dalton Harris
Image from Twitter.com via Google Images….
Today’s musical choice is from Dalton Harris, a young Jamaican singer, who took the UK by storm this year, with the power of his voice, and his artistry. In every song he performed on the X Factor UK stages, he took an iconic song by megastar artists, & turned it into his own, singing it as if it were written just for him. His vocal range is crazy, reminding me very much of a singer from the golden age of music, by the name of Jackie Wilson. I would say, for as long as he lives, he will be a well-known artist on a world-wide scale. I hope you enjoy this video, which includes all his songs that led him to this year’s winning position in the X Factor talent competition, UK version…. Abondanza!…..
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Funny Bones
Dreaming the way home, lost, unseen,
from the dance, where
he felt so free, and clean.
Sorrow couldn’t find him there.
Waiting, filling up the hours, hoping,
some connection can be found
keeping busy as bees, coping.
Love creeps in, without a sound.
Fat days, skinny nights, passionate
visions of semi-conscious entities,
cannot seem to fully illuminate
or hide our innermost frailties.
Resolute, find the perfect sense, codify
simple rules with every breath
never waiting, anxious to modify.
fear nothing in life, not even Death.
~~ gigoid ~~
5/3/2013
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Naked Pearls
Signposts….
*******
“It matters not how long you live, but how well.”
~~ Publius Syrus, “Maxim 829” ~~
*******
“The beginning of wisdom is to call things by their right names.”
~~ Chinese Proverb ~~
*******
“I cannot teach anybody anything, I can only make them think.”
~~ Socrates ~~
*******
“There is no heroic poem in the world but is at bottom a biography,
the life of a man; also it may be said, there is no life of a man,
faithfully recorded, but is a heroic poem of its sort, rhymed or unrhymed.”
~~ Thomas Carlyle ~~
~~ Sir Walter Scott, London and Westminster Review, 1838 ~~
*******
“A smile is the whisper of a laugh.”
~~ Anonymous ~~
*******
“What difference does it make how much you have?
What you do not have amounts to much more.”
~~ Seneca ~~
*******
“Are all your stars shining?”
~~ JD Salinger ~~
*******
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There you have it, ffolkes, such as it is. I shall continue my current, if temporary process, & leave it at that. I have a feeling I may try this again quite soon, & like all us humans, I do like to follow my feelings, & try to make them real. Whether or not I can do so remains to be seen, in that oh-so-elusive element of time we like to call the future. Until then, be well, be happy, & enjoy the season. See ya soon, ffolkes…..
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.
“Difficulties strengthen the mind, as labor does the body.”
~~ Seneca (BC 3-65 AD) ~~
Unexpected beauty….
The last time I posted here was 15 days ago; since that time I passed my 68th birthday, dealt with some rather emotionally wearing events, (a friend who had a stroke, family issues, etc….), and spent a lot of time seeking the conviviality of human interaction, with mixed results. None of what occurred acted to stimulate my need to write about any of it, other than this short summarization. This tells me my former consistency in writing is no longer a compelling factor in determining my choice of whether to spend time in the virtual world, or to spend it dealing with Consensual Reality. Moreover, it has become clear to me that the interaction fits in more closely with my current state of mind, such as that may be….
In short, I don’t feel any particular guilt, or loss, at having neglected the online community in favor of actual human interaction on a face-to-face basis. As I have previously noted, so be it. My only excuse, which isn’t one, is to quote Popeye, to wit: I am what I am, and that’s all what I am. At this point, all I can say for sure is I WILL write; it just won’t be as often as it once was, as it no longer plays such a critical part of my campaign to remain relatively sane. Not to say being so isn’t handy; it just isn’t as important as I once held it to be. In fact, I’m rather enjoying the delicious ambiguity of facing Life while standing on the edge…. and, for the nonce, that’s good enough.
For today, I’ve cobbled together three parts of a Virtual Pearl of Wisdom, which will suffice to deliver this update, and to move things onward to an acceptable degree…. I’m still available via email, and will check back to answer any comments; otherwise, I’ll be out in the BBR, facing Reality with the rest of the poor creatures here on Earth who must do the same, sans my own particular take on its relative importance…. which kinda describes what we all are going through in our own perceptive miasma. It may not have the clarity of Plato’s take, or the elegance of Sartre, or Voltaire, but, it’s way better than Machiavelli’s cynicism, as well as being much more palatable than any religion’s views on reality. I’ll take Peruaosophy any day over any of them. (To see Peruaosophy, check the About page listed on my home page…..)
That’s all I’ve got today for this; I’ll be finishing up the piece I’m working on for my friend, but, will otherwise emulate a lump of laziness for the rest of today, & see what tomorrow brings, just as we all shall do in the end…. For now,….
Shall we Pearl?
“One who is plenteously provided for from within needs but little from without.”
~~ Goethe ~~
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Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
This is what I mostly listen to these days. If I need to tell you why, you weren’t paying attention…. S’okay, no worries… just listen, & enjoy….
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After the odyssey….
Portraits of iconic symbols, crashing, singing, forgotten;
evolving into mature innovation, as yet pale, and rotten.
Still water justly breeds, impenetrable primal verses resound;
unholy moments tarry, emotion swirls in passion unbound
Spiritual ovulation precedes each pregnant pause;
gravid, time moves on, following destiny’s cause.
Cast adrift on waves of confusion, to a final, damp landing;
salvation beckons sweetly, fed well on understanding.
Dreams directly fall, in night’s grey bower, unbidden;
lingering flavors in simple taste, lovingly, cleverly hidden.
Childish laughter sounds, joyful, bright, and clear;
no need ever to hide, no more monsters to fear.
Temper most foul arrives under unregistered mail;
forgotten taunts live on, lashed by an ancient flail.
Plain dealing delivers such lasting specks of honest hate;
savage in retrospect, never hasty, always running late.
Forever, cries an ambient lover of the pending night;
his pale, weak issue forms its own failing light.
Still, fortune favors such as those who apprehend;
Sweet love of Gaia, let it never end.
~~ gigoid ~~
3/10/2013
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Naked Pearls
Experience teaches us….
*******
“Trails got to be here somewhere.”
~~ D. Boone ~~
*******
“When you aim for perfection, you discover it’s a moving target.”
~~ George Fisher ~~
*******
“Pray to God, but keep rowing to the shore.”
~~ Russian proverb ~~
*******
“A little experience often upsets a lot of theory.”
~~ Cadman ~~
*******
“The thinking man’s approach to most problems is a good nap.”
~~ Sagacious Bee ~~
*******
“Everything in excess!
To enjoy the flavor of life, take big bites.
Moderation is for monks.”
~~ Lazarus Long, from Robert A. Heinlein’s “Time Enough For Love” ~~
*******
“I shall be telling this with a sigh
Somewhere ages and ages hence:
Two roads diverged in a wood, and I —
I took the one less traveled by,
And that has made all the difference.”
~~ Robert Frost, “The Road Not Taken” ~~
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Rather than belabor any points at all, I’ll end this here, and now, with the usual caveat, to wit: I will be back, though ‘when’ remains uncertain. In the meantime, y’all be well, and happy as you may be. As should be eminently clear by now, I’ll be working on being as strange as reality will allow, a habit I thoroughly recommend be adopted by all…. See ya, ffolkes….
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.
“Service to others
becomes a necessity
in seeking virtue.
~~ gigoid, 10/9/2018 ~~
New Vineyards near Eugene, Oregon….
In the past eight days, since last posting a Pearl, the various parts of today’s post fell together in a random order that eventually achieved some coherency just yesterday. My life outside this room where the computer lives has been, more than I care to think it could be, ‘interesting’, and I use that word in the oriental sense, not occidental. Friends in crisis, personal demon wars, trying to stop smoking tobacco, risky business, all have occurred of late in rapid=fire succession, unwilling to allow one the time to either prepare, or recover. SIGH…. (that’s a West Counties sigh, long, sad face, slowly indrawn breath exhaled with force and a shake of the head….). ‘Tis easy to see why I’m so hard-pressed to get anything done, with so much distraction from any purpose I choose to follow….
But, all of us live in the same reality (that’s why I explore it….), with one difference, that being our own perception of it. That said, it remains both no MORE difficult, or, any LESS difficult than anyone else’s reality, no matter how perceived; in the end, we all must face it alone. That’s why I have come to believe so strongly in the old proverb about ‘living in the shelter of each other’; without each other, we all get lost, and lonely. Sometimes, that can happen even when we are with each other, so, it’s a good thing to also remember the other old proverb, i.e., ‘if you want a friend, be one’….
I’m doing some writing on the side for a friend, and have also procrastinated on getting it done as quickly as I like, so, I’m gonna leave this be so it can get posted, & do my best to quit complaining at myself long enough to get something else done. Wish me luck, ‘cuz I have a feeling I’ll need it….. For the nonce, I’ll see you down the page a ways….
Shall we Pearl?
“Go softly, for you tread on my dreams.”
~~ William Butler Yeats ~~
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John Lee Hooker
Image from chickenmamba.com via Google Images…
Here’s another artist who should need little introduction. If one knows anything of the blues, he is an icon; if not, well, he’s still an icon, just one of whom you don’t know, to your loss…. until now, of course. I’ve included two live videos, as anything he does live is impeccable, IMHO…. I hope you enjoy it….
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For old times’ sake, just because….
From 10/16/2014:
“The effort to understand the universe is one of the very few things that lifts human life a little above the level of farce and gives it some of the grace of tragedy.” — Steven Weinberg
In the past year and some time, I’ve written many words… more than I care to think about just now, and a number that some would say deserves the term “interminable”….. None of them comes closer to summarizing how I feel about life in general than this…. I’ve never seen it before, to my knowledge, which detracts in no way from its deep resonance with my core beliefs.
I spend a lot of time discussing those parts of life that lean toward the direction of farce, with no little outrage at the depth of human cupidity and well, bozoid tendencies. In my own way, I suppose, this could be construed as my own effort to try to understand the universe, and our place in it…. I hope so, anyway…. because understanding life has been my only quest for the greatest part of it that I remember, reaching back to when I was five or six, and desperately trying to blend in with all the orange monkeys, while secretly wearing my own coat of blue…. For the two years after beginning school, and being exposed all day to the world outside my family, the gap between myself and my peer group seemed to be unpredictable, in terms of what they perceived, and what I could see and understand.
This isn’t to imply I was an outcast; merely an “egghead”, or other such complimentary terminology, as I found the actual school part of it all quite simple. This did, on the positive side, give me enough time to learn to adapt, and make myself likable for other reasons… sports being one, and applying the principle of “to have friends, be a friend”; I was always generous with helping others in school, with whatever I could do. Plus, I do LIKE people, as a rule…. they often disappoint, but, if one pays attention, they also never fail to amaze, in so many ways.
This study of my peer group from my first memories has persisted throughout my life, and remains today my primary focus of self-directed education, so to speak. I love to sit in public places and watch crowds; I don’t much like being IN crowds, so much as watching them interact with each other, all according to the dancing rules we all learn, from kindergarten onward…. From the first time I ever attended a county fair, my favorite activity at each, was to race through all there was to see, spend all my disposable income, and then spend the remainder of my time sitting near the front gate plaza, watching the people as they came to the fair….. endless entertainment, and still is…. only now, I walk the streets when I’m able, or sit in the public parks, libraries, and coffee shops, wherever I live….
“Sometimes one pays most for the things one gets for nothing.” — Albert Einstein (1879-1955)
One of the things I’ve learned about people is that human nature is just that… a force of nature. It has not changed much, if at all, since we humans were living in grass huts at the junction of a river; there are still good people, and bad people, and they are most often the same person…. because we all have our own unique view of the world, and our own feelings about what we see and believe we understand. We don’t always have all the information we need at critical times in our lives, and so make decisions that affect our behavior or outlook, decisions which become habits, leading us to believe these habits are justifiable because they work to keep us comfortable…. until they don’t. Life always changes, there is nothing that can stop it from doing so; if we do not learn to change ourselves, to adapt to the changes in the universe around us, it will end up destroying us.
The universe has no mercy, no pity; these are human concepts, and not a part of reality at all. But, being human, we crave justice, for things to be fair…. we bend our efforts to changing the universe to meet our wishes, never realizing that it is folly, that reality does not work that way, and there is nothing at all we can do to alter that reality according to our wishes without suffering the consequences. How quickly those consequences will result in our demise as a species is, of course, a matter of some debate. I tend to believe that we are nearing a breaking point, and the universe is going to be submitting a bill for payment to us, for the damages to our living domicile for which we are responsible, in the very near future…..
It must be noted that most of what I write about, whether I write well, or merely a lot, lends itself equally well to tragedy as it does to farce. In fact, it should also be noted that this is a good metaphor, for human nature. We are contradictory creatures, you, and your Uncle Bob, your Aunt Shirley, and I, and everyone else who makes up human society, filled with warring impulses, and wildly differing viewpoints. The expression of our nature in the real world reflects all of that, in all its tragic, farcical, gloriously foolish splendor…. We inspire and disgust each other on a daily, sometimes hourly basis, especially if one watches a lot of TV, with its completely distorted approximation of reality…. I have pretty much given up on TV completely, as it merely serves to fuel my outrage, and that, as you may have noted already, needs no further encouragement….
Well, a thousand or so words should be enough for a retrospective musing on human nature….. especially when they flow out as smoothly as these. I’ll leave this here, and most likely come back to it another day…. I will leave you with this fine observation from Mssr. Darwin, of The Origin of Species fame…. a book which gave birth to perhaps the finest scientific advance of the millennium, the since-proven Theory of Evolution….. surely a magnificent creation of the human spirit that encompasses both of the elements, farce and tragedy, we explored above….
“It is not the strongest of the species that survive, nor the most intelligent, but the one most responsive to change.” — Charles Darwin
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“But groundless hope, like unconditional love, is the only kind worth having.”
~~ EFF co-founder John Perry Barlow, “Cynthia Horner’s Eulogy”, Apr. 1994 ~~
Unsolicited Gratitude
Fear becomes familiar when reality bodes us ill
pain assumes first position, no matter our will.
Powerless, we founder, no strength to prevail
anguished and afraid, against unwanted Fate we rail.
Still, a grain of hope deep inside, hidden well against need
gives us reason to survive, our starving souls to feed.
Failure of courage burdens time, of being bested,
until our souls, in submission, become foully infested.
Bitter tears wash through us each day, with little care,
no thought, no feeling, no wish, or need to be fair.
Rendered clueless, confusion falls upon us, as prey,
we surrender a piece of our soul, little as we may.
Yet, always, a bright beam of hope is seen from afar,
no matter how dreary, or dark, it may seem where we are.
None knows, nor would consent to tell, it seems
from whence it hails, or why it so brightly gleams.
Saving our sanity, absolving our unwanted fears,
dispelling the myths and lies that come with the years.
Each man has known the precious gift that hope may give
And gives glad thanks, as long as he may live.
~~ gigoid ~~
10/10/2012
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Naked Pearls
Stones on the Path….
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“Fate is a river. Free will is a paddle.”
~~ Subtle Bee ~~
*******
“We can not live for ourselves alone,
our lives are connected by a thousand invisible threads.”
~~ Herman Melville ~~
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“Time carves all.
Let yourself be carved to attain your true nature.”
~~ Master Po ~~
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“What I gave, I have; what I spent, I had; what I kept, I lost.”
— old epitaph
*******
“Seek not to follow in the footsteps of men of old;
seek what they sought.”
~~ Matsuo Basho ~~
*******
“Creation is a mighty joke, but the laugh is at my own expense.”
~~ Meher Baba ~~
*******
“All is flux, nothing stays still.”
~~ Heraclitus (540?-480? B.C.) ~~
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Well, there you go…. Such as it is, I offer it up for your perusal, and, hopefully, your approbation. If not, well, the effort is always worthwhile, for all one may learn. I’ll quit pontificating, or, even merely being naturally pedantic, long enough to bid thee farewell, until the next time, which will probably be in a day or three. Who knows? This little foray may have broken the dam upon my fountain of expression; I guess we’ll see, won’t we? Until we do, y’all be well, & happy as you may be. As has probably become obvious by now, if nothing else, you can leave the ‘being strange’ part to me….
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.
I find myself at a loss for words. Given the nature of this enterprise (i.e., blogging), that is certainly problematic, not to mention inconvenient in the here and now. However, if I don’t at least make an effort to put together enough words in a logical manner, I’ll feel even worse for wear. And, yes, that gives an indication of just how screwed up my head has been of late, as I have been touting a lack of angst over not posting, an outburst which, clearly, is a lie told to myself. When that happens, I can no longer fail to acknowledge the truth, painful as it must be….
The sad truth is, I have been under attack from the most perfidious and most dangerous of my personal demons, to wit: myself. To be more precise, ’tis a demon of my own making, which brings to bear my own unnamed fears upon my serenity/stability, with all that implies. Long story short, it uses my own skills and thoughts to undermine my peace of mind, with convincing authority, as it all comes from within. To be completely honest, it’s scary, and infuriating, to realize how vulnerable we are to ourselves… More infuriating is knowing it’s all bullshit, just personal weakness in the face of introspection. Nonetheless, bullshit or not, it’s kept me from writing, or thinking clearly, which, in my world, pretty much screws the pooch…. & if I have to explain that one, well, guess what? It ain’t happenin’, cuz I don’t wanna go there…
Since none of the above has any real bearing on anything but my own discomfort, I’ll make the adult decision to move past it without further comment; I’ll just have to come to my own terms with myself. Maybe, if I could find the wherewithal to get a poem down on paper (yes, I know, but, there’s no equivalent digital phrase that describes it so well…), some of this angst would bleed off, & I could spend a bit of time on what I WANT to do, rather than what my inner lack of balance ends up trapping me into doing…. SIGH…. Ah, well the hell with it…. Let’s just get this slow on the toad for the day, & try again another day….
Shall we Pearl?
“Time destroys the speculations of man,
but it confirms the judgment of nature.”
~~ Cicero ~~
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Image from residentmusic.com via Google Images….
In my world, this particular musical set represents what I consider the best representative example to be found of Eric Clapton’s work. I listen to this while working, while relaxing, while reading… whatever I may do, it provides a smooth, brilliant background, without becoming tiresome or redundant. It shows off his skills in every style he has learned to play, & his band mates are some of the best to ever play, IMHO…. I hope you enjoy it as much as I do….
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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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Naked Pearls
Extra cheese, please….
*******
Before I speak, I am master of the words;
After, the word is master of me”
.~~- Ibn Gabriol ~~
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“The first place that I can well remember
was a large pleasant meadow with a pond of clear water in it.”
~~ “Black Beauty”, by Anna Sewell, 1877 ~~
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“By the accident of fortune a man may rule the world for a time,
but by virtue of love he may rule the world forever.”
~~ Lao Tzu ~~
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“Don’t take the bull by the horns, take him by the tail;
then you can let go when you want to.”
~~ Josh Billings ~~
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“The present contains nothing more than the past,
and what is found in the effect is already in the cause.”
~~ Henri Louis Bergson (1859-1941) ~~
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“Take this kiss upon the brow! And, in parting from you now,
Thus much let me avow–
You are not wrong who deem
That my days have been a dream;
Yet if hope has flown away
In a night, or in a day,
In a vision, or in none,
Is it therefore the less gone?
All that we see or seem
Is but a dream within a dream.”
~~ Edgar Allan Poe, “A Dream Within A Dream” ~~
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“Th’ MIND is the Pizza Palace of th’ SOUL”
~~ Zippy the Pinhead ~~
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Well, ffolkes, there you have it, such as it is. It’s not Pulitzer-worthy, to be sure, but, it’s all as fresh as I could make it, & it’ll have to do for the nonce. It will be at least a day or two before I post again, as I have committed to doing a small piece of work in collaboration with a friend, & that will garner all my attention for at least a day or two. Until I return, fear not; the universe is proceeding as it should, in spite of how we deal with it, or form opinions on how it may be to our perception….
Hmm…. I see even this little bit of composition is enough to stimulate my pedantry; so be it. I’m done for now, so, I’ll merely say, be well, be happy as you may be, and, keep up the level of strange, if only in self-defense…. I know I will….
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.
I began blogging here on WordPress in August of 2011, during my first year of retirement. At the time, my health was not great; I lived with chronic pain which prevented any sort of exercise, & at one point reached 250 lbs., on a relatively diminutive frame, (5’7″). Blogging provided me with a means of distracting myself from what seemed to be a long, uncomfortable road toward death. To avoid allowing this to become either excessively lengthy, or excessively maudlin, I’ll merely say the production of a Pearl of Virtual Wisdom each day became both the focus of my everyday routine, as well as a life/mind saving grace….
Long story short, six years passed, during which time I was fortunate, or stubbornly persistent enough to evolve toward a more joyful existence, until, thanks to having resumed personal responsibility for my health & well-being, (achieved by kicking doctors and the AMA in general out of my life….), I am again living in much better balance. My weight is hovering around 175#, (very acceptable…), my arthritis is much better, with concomitant pain reduction sufficient to allow physical exercise (I walk 2+ miles/day….), and, most significantly, spend a LOT less time worrying about all of those things which compelled me to require distraction. To continue the policy of long story short, blogging has become a secondary, or auxiliary, part of my life. Where once I would have felt great angst at not having written, or posted a Pearl, I now feel satisfied, if only at the lack of angst…..
There…. Having once again said much, to little purpose, I feel as if I’ve gone a little way toward making it up to my neurotic tendencies by doing so, though I’m well aware it’s merely another way to distract myself from things I don’t wish to consider right now. If I didn’t keep shortening what could easily become much longer by the addition of sarcasm, nonsense, or blather in general, we’d never even get to the music, much less the old-school pearls. Goodness forfend! As a means of guarantee, here’s a rather abrupt ending to this rather ambiguous opening. Watch closely….
Shall we Pearl?
“The happiness and unhappiness of the rational, social animal
depends not on what he feels, but on what he does;
just as his virtue and vice consist not in feeling but in doing.”
~~ Marcus Aurelius Antoninus — Meditations, ix, 16 ~~
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Despite having more than enough time to choose & find some proper music by which to read, I’m going with one of our default choices here on ECR (Exploring Consensual Reality, for those in the pre-coffee darkness…), to wit: a collection of some of the finest classical music on Earth, by some pretty talented composers. All of it has stood the test of time, and, I suspect, will do so again today, here…. Enjoy!….
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Premises, premises….
Tricked, I stumble, and I fall
dreaming, through an abandoned palace.
Frightened and wary, unheard my call
fading into memory, no cup, no argent chalice.
The people, crushed, cry out to be freed
asking only to take part, or travel.
Nascent oaths spotlight such bursting need
fed by treachery, deep from our well.
Only the wicked shall find their way blocked
justice seeks them, snug in their hole.
Faint praises never touched, but naked, stalked
singing no gospel, no soul, no rock and roll.
Only the promised will remember the way
from unforgiven trails of sorrow.
To live life, and give death no sway,
saving grace for our only tomorrow.
~~ gigoid ~~
12/19/2014
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Naked Pearls
More Signs on the Path….
*******
“The miracle is not to walk on water.
The miracle is to walk on the green earth in the present moment,
o appreciate the peace and beauty that are available now.”
~~ Thich Nhat Hanh ~~
*******
“Hang sorrow! care ‘ll kill a cat.”
~~ Ben Jonson — Every Man in his Humour, Act i, Sc. 3 ~~
*******
“There is nothing noble about being superior to some other man.
The true nobility is in being superior to you previous self.”
~~ Samuel Johnson ~~
*******
“It is a good thing to be rich and strong, but it is a better thing to be loved.”
~~ Euripides ~~
*******
“Education is not a preparation for life;
Education is life itself.”
~~ John Dewey ~~
*******
“Some say that my teaching is nonsense.
Others call it lofty but impractical.
But to those who have looked inside themselves,
this nonsense makes perfect sense.
And to those who put it into practice,
this loftiness has roots that go deep.
I have just three things to teach:
simplicity, patience, compassion.
These three are your greatest treasures.
Simple in actions and in thoughts,
you return to the source of being.
Patient with both friends and enemies,
you accord with the way things are.
Compassionate toward yourself,
you reconcile all beings in the world.”
~~ Tao Te Ching ~~
*******
“No matter where you are, there you are.”
~~ Oliver’s Law of Location ~~
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I love it when a plan, even an ill-considered plan, comes together…. I wish to point out the rather ‘perfect’ status of our final pearl today, for it perfectly says all there is to say at this point. Not that it matters at all where we are, but, here we are. And, now, we’re not…. or, about to not be. Hmm… That might just be a little TOO subtle, even for me. I’ll just say, be well, ffolkes, and happy as you may be. Being strange is also an option, one I strongly recommend…. See y’all in a day or three…
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.
“A man who does not think for himself does not think at all.”
~~ Oscar Wilde, “Oscariana” ~~
Shop Street, Invergordon, Scotland….
If you called me irresponsible, it wouldn’t be particularly out of place, except for the fact that there’s only one person in the world to whom I have any specific responsibility, & that is me. Oh, sure, I have some responsibility toward all the other silly monkeys, and other forms of life on the planet, but, that’s merely the same responsibility that all Life forms have toward each other, not something specific, at least in the sense that being irresponsible won’t necessarily cause them harm. But, irresponsibility for self ALWAYS has consequences, & they are seldom pleasant….
In the case to which I refer today, I have shown a lack of responsibility by not posting for three days, in spite of having most of this done for two days. Instead, I blew off both Thursday and Friday, spending most of both days playing around & soaking up public conviviality, without any concern for my own personal, private agenda, in which I do try to invest some of my remaining store of self-discipline. To be perfectly clear, I drank too much, & accomplished little beyond some rather enjoyable conversations…. SIGH…. I call most humans “Silly monkeys”, & should not forget that I am to be included in that group….
Ah, well, nobody got hurt, & I managed to do my playing without falling off-diet, & am not currently suffering more than the usual age-related issues this morning, so, my overindulgence has induced no lasting harm. I am still hovering around 175#, which is 5# more than I weighed when I graduated from high school; solid…. I am now six days without a tobacco cigarette, so, that’s going well, as well. In fact, all is reasonably well in my life, which, of course, makes me nervous, & itchy, trying to watch all around to get some advance warning of when Murphy will step in & poop on my serenity…. But, in the meantime, let’s get THIS done, okay? It’s simple enough; all I have to do is this….
Shall we Pearl?
“Appearance must not foil, nor shifted sphere confuse thy brain.
Ample are time and space–ample the fields of nature.
~~ Walt Whitman, “CONTINUITIES, from Leaves of Grass” ~~
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Melissa Etheridge
Image from Pinterest via Google Images…
I’ve never listened to this artist much; though I’ve enjoyed hearing it on the radio, etc., I just never followed up on the impulse to hear more. I suppose one cannot expect to see ALL one wishes to see (or hear, or perceive at all…). But, in listening to the beginning of this live concert, I know I WILL be listening again, and often…. I hope you enjoy it….
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Savory
Blown across steppes of imagination, a spore
finds a niche, takes root,
tries to live longer than now, before
chaos/peace descends, and desire is moot.
Feathered into fecundity, another possibility
builds a nest, hatches kin,
aims at immortality, sans responsibility,
chance manifests, as it does, again.
Leading toward peril, entropy saves creativity,
making tools, and lazy time;
solid signs imply such simple nativity,
as another snitch drops his dime.
Subtle compassion billows, passion to unfold,
covering hearts bloodied by time,
burning flesh made valid, unwaveringly bold,
turning love to brilliant rhyme.
Years weigh lightly, supported by youth,
gaining weight with each year,
only the old men know the actual truth,
peace comes only when we lose our fear.
~~ gigoid ~~
4/9/2013
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Not So Naked Pearls
From 8/22/2015
*******
Our final entry today is another random pearl speaking about Life at Large…. Life can be a formidable proposition, and it behooves all of us to gather to our bosoms as much wisdom regarding the living of it as we can find…. Not that the answers aren’t all right there inside us, but, we humans have a tendency to look outside ourselves for those things we forget we already possess, such as peace, courage, compassion, and, well, everything we need…
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“He took his vorpal sword in hand
Long time the manxom foe he sought
Till rested he by the tumtum tree
And stood awhile in thought”
~~ Jabberwocky, by Lewis Carroll (Charles Dodgson) ~~
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“You can easily judge the character of others
by how they treat those who can do nothing for them or to them.”
~~ Malcolm Forbes ~~
*******
“A person is not given integrity.
It results from the relentless pursuit of honesty at all times.”
~~ Anonymous, most ancient human sage ~~
*******
“Life without music would be an intolerable insult.”
~~ Edward Abbey ~~
*******
“He conquers who endures.”
~~ Perseus ~~
*******
“Courage is resistance to fear, mastery of fear – not absence of fear.”
~~ Mark Twain ~~
*******
“Fill your bowl to the brim and it will spill.
Keep sharpening your knife and it will blunt.
Chase after money and security and your heart will never unclench.
Care about people’s approval and you will be their prisoner.
Do your work, then step back.
The only path to serenity.”
~~ Tao Te Ching ~~
*******
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Whew! I wasn’t sure I’d get it done, but, hangover or no, I did it. Well enough to keep, too, I think, so, I’ll forgo any further nonsense & just get it posted, so I can get on with some real Saturday fun…. whatever that means. Y’all be well, be as happy as you may, and, for goodness’ sake, be just as strange as you can possibly be. Don’t worry, you’ll fit right in…. See ya, ffolkes….
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.
“For neither men nor angel can discern hypocrisy
– the only evil that walks invisible.”
~~ Milton, “Paradise Lost”, iii:682-684 ~~
Sunrise near Greenock, Scotland….
I cannot seem to figure out why it’s taking me so long to achieve a daily rhythm on this blog; moreover, I can’t seem to work up much angst over it, either. I’m also not sure why I can’t figure out why, which brings me right back into the endless loop of silliness that’s been chasing around my head for a couple weeks now. I’m beginning to think trying to come back wasn’t in my best interests, as it all seems so pointless. But, for the nonce, I have committed to it, if only in my own fantasy, so, I’m left with little choice but to keep at it until it’s done, again….
Of course, that pre-supposes there will be something in my head worth writing down when the time comes, which, as is perfectly clear by now, is a supposition without corroborating evidence of possibility. I’m lucky I’ve found what you see, I think, because I don’t see much of anything more laying about; my head seems to be leaking faster than I can type, & I’m very close to the literary equivalent of “fainting in coils”, or some such other nonsense. To prevent any toxic build-up, that can lead to explosions of vitriol & bile, let’s go see what I have cobbled together, & try again some other day…. That, in & of itself is easy enough…. I just have to do this….
Shall we Pearl?
“Virtue is not hereditary.”
~~ Thomas Paine ~~
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Today’s musical selection combines my two favorite types of music, to wit: classical guitar music. Also, if one wishes to listen to music at all, why not go for the best available? Hence this compilation of the works of Andres Segovia, acknowledged by many as the consummate master of the genre. I hope you enjoy it as much as do I….
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I remember well the night I wrote this poem…. ‘Twas near the beginning of most of a year spent in & out of Hell, as I fought with the AMA, and Big Pharma, to rid myself of the opioid addiction to which they had so blithely subjected me to in their ignorance and greed. It speaks, in metaphor, both obscurely AND plainly, of the pain & misery which can be the ONLY result of trying to get free of it…. It got worse, and helped produce, in its own malignant fashion, further instances of poetry, as my tortured mind & body fought for survival…. I hope y’all enjoy it, non-pretty as it may be….
Dead Hands,Typing…
Puzzled anew by anomalous blocks of pain
caught, bemused, chained to routine, insane.
Stilled within breathless beauty
Engaging epiphany, insistent, called to duty.
Knees bent in lieu of a faithful rendition
suffuses, confuses, locked into stale perdition.
Clearing corrosion with hands encased in stone
Singular frozen follicles, masked by bone.
Partial focus brings unfiltered flavors to light
coloring each particle in simple delight.
Forlorn, novel conceptual artists singing in tune
nine notes in harmony, soft as the moon.
Honed blades of carbon steel flash in rhyme,
filling sensual receptors well past closing time.
Borrowed from neighbors in a week-old game
still bloody, without a proper name.
No flooded memories can justify such cost
no simple stationery, bilious, afraid, lost.
Ten times ten will never be enough
To fill so empty a stolen trough.
Bartering simplicity takes well into the night
solidly temporary pillars turned bright.
Unknown to all the pretty children who came
none were called, none had any remaining flame.
~~ gigoid ~~
2/25/2015
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Naked Pearls
Many paths, one destination….
*******
“There are things that are known, and things unknown,
and in between are the doors of perception.”
~~ Aldous Huxley, “The Doors of Perception” ~~
*******
“Being right too soon is socially unacceptable.”
~~ Robert Heinlein ~~
*******
“Insofar as love expresses itself,
it is not expressing itself in terms of socially approved manners of life.
That’s why it is all so secret.
Love has nothing to do with social order.
It is a higher spiritual experience than that of socially organized marriage.”
~~ Joseph Campbell ~~
*******
“In any weather, at any hour of the day or night,
I have been anxious to improve the nick of time, and notch it on my stick too;
to stand on the meeting of two eternity’s, the past and the future,
which is precisely the present moment; to toe at that line.”
~~ Henry David Thoreau ~~
*******
“There’s plenty of pain here – but it don’t kill.
There’s plenty of suffering here, but it don’t last.
You see, happiness ain’t a thing in itself
– it’s only a contrast with something that ain’t pleasant.”
~~ Mark Twain, “Captain Stormfield’s Visit to Heaven” ~~
*******
“If we are not stupid or insincere when we say
that the good or ill of man lies within his own will,
and that all beside is nothing to us,
why are we still troubled?”
~~ Epictetus (c. 60 AD) — Discourses, Book i, Chap. xxv ~~
*******
“He said, “Dance for me” and he said,
“You are too beautiful for the wind
To pick at, or the sun to burn.” He said,
“I’m a poor tattered thing, but not unkind
To the sad dancer and the dancing dead.”
— Sidney Keyes, “Four Postures of Death”
*******
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There you have it, ffolkes. I’ve done all the damage I can do in one sitting, so, I’ll just take my leave, with the usual caveat, to wit: I’ll be back to try this again, apparently in two days, if recent history is any indication. Whatever happens, y’all be well, happy as you may be, and keep to the strange….
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.
“Indifference is isolation.
In difference is texture and wonder.”
~~ Edwin Schlossberg ~~
“Sfera con sfera” (Sphere within a sphere)
Sculpture by Arnald Pomodoro, @ Trinity College Dublin….
In what is no doubt a vain hope, the old man sits to write, in spite of the vast plain of nothing that fills his nearly vacant mind. Such a vacuum is not surprising, given the hour (0530 on a Sunday morning), following the previous nine hours of sleepless tossing & turning. No rational, or irrational reason can be identified for such a night; no serious pain & no serious stress in life at large seem to be the order of the day. Probably, I could obsess over it much of the day, but, since that seems as unproductive as the night just spent, I decided to just start writing & see what happens….
As you probably noted by now, I’m ignoring the previous two day absence from this space; since all I did was spend the entire time wandering around my head, alternating that relatively pointless occupation with binge-watching old TV shows (mostly Have Gun Will Travel, from the 1950’s, or My Favorite Martian, from a few years later….), there’s no point in detailing that time any further, as I don’t intend to offer any excuses. I did manage to cobble together the necessary pieces to complete this Pearl, but, had absolutely no motivation to write the intro, or the exit lines; thus the short hiatus, and the resultant necessity for this mini-diatribe, such as it is….
When I began this intro, I had intended to at least make an attempt to make it, if nothing else, funny, and/or, rational; by now, you can probably tell, as can I, neither of those two states are possible; I’m just too tired & weirded out to get there. In fact, I have a feeling if I don’t bring this to a rapid conclusion, we may never get out of here at all. Rather than lose another day, I’ll perform what has become, of late, our default technique, to wit: the hot potato drop, which works like this….
Shall we Pearl?
“Death tugs at my ear and says: “Live, I am coming.””
~~ Oliver Wendell Holmes, Sr. ~~
Me, too, & if you’ve ever had you ear tugged by Death, you’d know, as Oliver and I do, you pay attention, & get on with living life large…. Hence, my tendency toward absence from cyberspace more often than not…. SIGH…. Choices, choices….
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Leo Kottke
Image from npr.org via Google Images
In 1969, while attending UC Berkeley, I got tickets to see this artist. I’d never before seen or heard such fine guitar work, & was, by accident, introduced to an entire world of music heretofore unknown to me. Leo, John Fahey, and a slough of fine young (at the time) guitarists gave me the inspiration to learn to play myself, & though I’ve never come even close to this sort of expertise, it gave me, literally, music in my own soul, for there is no better feeling I’ve encountered in Life than the one I get from making my own music…. Please enjoy, if only in memory of my own youthful enthusiasm….
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Cognitive Abstinence
Ever affable, serendipity calls on random days
bringing gifts, wrapped in flesh and bone.
Tempting fate, color springs from intricate stone;
singing, laughing, poised to amaze.
In metaphoric haste, clues gather to confer;
graceless, with absently casual frivolity;
fraught with severely limited civility,
lead yet into realms where hope may infer.
Allegory has faded, past all disrepute;
indelible, entropy holds the field today.
Honorable, the children stand, resolute,
justice is spent, the old-fashioned way.
Temporary measures no longer apply
to foster dreams; endless nightmares parade.
Forlorn, empty, the unwashed masses cry,
while time slips away, sleeping in the shade.
Wondrous moments continue to accumulate
odd gestures of indignant fortitude.
Destiny embraces no desire to illuminate;
with such a cavalier attitude.
Pale, afraid, the joker sits to compose
one final ode to reason.
Such grandiose dreams, a dying rose,
dragged along from season to season.
~~ gigoid ~~
12/1/2016
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Naked Pearls
On being human….
*******
“I’m having an emotional outburst!!”
~~ Zippy the Pinhead ~~
*******
“Around existence twine,
(Oh, bridge that hangs across the gorge!)
ropes of twisted vine.”
~~ Basho ~~
*******
“That’s right, yes, you’re going, you’re gone for ages,
already gone, you’re still here, just arrived, haven’t even met you yet.
It all depends on who you are and how you look at it.
Strange business, time.”
~~ Doctor Who, “Dragonfire” ~~
*******
“The real purpose of books is to trap the mind into doing its own thinking.”
~~ Christopher Morley ~~
*******
“Cogito, ergo sum presupposes “I”-ness.”
~~ Smart Bee ~~
*******
“Kindness in words creates confidence.
Kindness in thinking creates profoundness.
Kindness in giving creates love.”
~~ Lao-Tzu ~~
*******
“God has no religion.”
~~ Mahatma Gandhi ~~
*******
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Well, another one bites the dust. Once the dust settles, you’ll be able to see the bite marks, and will know just what it was all about. Or, not. In either case, it’s done, & I’m outta here…. Given my recent lack of consistency, my only remark will be, I don’t know exactly when, but, I’ll be back. I hope y’all continue to enjoy whatever it is I do here; if not, well, I’ll try to do better…. Be well, be happy as you may be, and stay strange; believe me, it’s your best defense….
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.
“A handful of sand is an anthology of the universe.”
~~ David McCord ~~
Ancient Pepper Tree….
As may have been noted, I was absent yesterday, but, I can’t seem to work up any particular regrets for having been so. You see, I’ve come to realize I just don’t have the same investment in writing I once had. My inner serenity seems to be free of the compulsion to spend so much time in getting what it is IN my head OUT of it, & while I do miss some of the sense of satisfaction writing well can engender, there is no longer any sense of pressure or necessity. I have to say that’s a gift, but, one of those two-sided kind, because it also feels like a loss. At this moment, neither seems as important as they once were, but, the discussion of it at least gave us an opening paragraph upon which to build….
However, to build anything worth reading on top of such a mundane, less-than-exciting introduction might prove to be more than my rustic, and rusty skills can achieve. Rather than embarrass myself in the attempt, I believe we’ll take a different route, & try for a bit of nonsense & blather, which comes rather naturally to me. Of course, you already knew that, but, sometimes, one needs to restate the obvious, if only to ensure it’s appreciated…. The obvious can become rather fractious when ignored, with a tendency to sneak up & twist your ear, hard, should it be ignored too long. Trust me on this; you don’t want to go there….
Now, some might think I’m being overly paranoid about reality; they’d be forgetting Murphy, & I can attest to the foolishness of ignoring that particularly obvious, and obnoxious force of nature/reality. I won’t even bother to point out the disadvantages, for the experience of them teaches the lesson much better than I ever can. In fact, I believe I’ve come to another realization of something obvious, to wit: this is getting pretty deep, & it would probably be best to just get on with the rest of today’s mess…. I’ll take my own advice, & save us all some time, as well as, in my own case, some embarrassment I don’t need any more of….
Shall we Pearl?
“How far you go in life depends on your being tender with the young,
compassionate with the aged, sympathetic with the striving,
and tolerant of the weak and strong.
Because someday in your life you will have been all of these.”
~~ George Washington Carver ~~
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Wolfie Mozart
On those occasions when I don’t wish to either spend a lot of time, or energy, to decide what sort of music to include in one of these Pearls, I generally go with some sort of classical music. Today I feel like the best, so, naturally, it’s Mozart; I also feel like violins, so, here is an album uploaded to YT which contains ALL his violin concertos…. Y’all can decide for yourselves which one is best…. Enjoy!
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Lamenting Empathy, No Grace
Strange, strong, passions burn from within
Selling nothing short, nor out
Consumed, loudly, failing to mark the spin
Sad, resigned, in singular redoubt.
Fallow grounds for twisted seed
Become fated, grow, and die.
Experience never fills critical need
Save perhaps once, in ages gone by.
Shouting in severe, dulcet tone
Brittle, flaking, destiny floats away
Making noise, rattling the bone
Simply ageless fears held at bay.
We mask our illusions in faux belief
Tied to reality by matter of rote,
Send them postcards, without relief
Consecrated time, forever remote.
~~ gigoid ~~
12/19/2014
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Naked Pearls
Steps on the Path….
*******
“An intelligent mind is a mind which is not satisfied with explanations, with conclusions;
nor is it a mind that believes, because belief is again another form of conclusion.
An intelligent mind is an inquiring mind, a mind that is watching, learning, studying.”
~~ J. Krishnamuti ~~
*******
“Books, like friends, should be few and well chosen.”
~~ Samuel Paterson ~~
*******
“Man is what he believes.”
~~ Anton Chekhov ~~
*******
“If the end does not justify the means – what can?”
~~ Edward Abbey ~~
*******
“Ignorance is a voluntary misfortune.”
~~ Nicholas Ling ~~
*******
‘A man never so beautifully shows his own strength,
as when he respects another’s weakness.”
~~ Rules of a Gentleman ~~
*******
“With virtue you cannot be entirely poor…
Without it you cannot be really rich.”
~~ Chinese Proverb ~~
*******
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Having made it this far, it only makes sense to finish it off before it begins to stink any worse. Ah, well, they can’t all be good; I just wish it weren’t so easy to be bad. In today’s case, I think it came out a draw, which, I also think is good enough, & I’ll take it. I’ll see y’all in a day or two, depending on which part of my head takes control…. of course. Be well, & happy,& strange; all are preferable to the alternatives….
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.
“Thou hast commanded that an ill-regulated mind should be its own punishment.”
~~ Saint Augustine ~~
Dunphy’s Tavern…
One day, perhaps, I’ll find & resume the routine which allows me to produce these posts on a consistent basis; my deliberate absence, and the resultant lack of practice, along with the lifestyle alterations I’ve made, don’t seem to lend themselves particularly well to the single-minded focus I once displayed in that respect. All I can say about that is, oh, well; too bad, so sad. For the current time & place, that will have to suffice, for I feel no guilt, nor any particular shame. All I feel is a vague, unfocused feeling, much like thinking we’ve forgotten something important.
But, like any human of my age, I have numerous techniques to put all that sort of crap aside, & just go on as if it didn’t matter. Which, if you note, it doesn’t, at all. Not only doesn’t it matter, it’s probably only me who either cares, or even thinks about stuff like that. I mean, what’s the point? Well, I’ll tell ya…. When your mind is as empty of ideas on how to get going, or keep going, you (or, rather I….) will put damn near anything down, just to get a little further down the page….
SIGH…. However, even such shameless blather as I’ve employed thus far can only take us so far, & never quite far enough. In fact, it;s so pitifully bad, I’m giving up. If you listen closely, you can hear me muttering to myself as I do the only thing I have left to do….
Shall we Pearl?
“I prefer the folly of enthusiasm to the indifference of wisdom.”
~~ Anatole France ~~
(So do I. Doesn’t mean I can muster up much of either some days…. )
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Lena Horne
Image from Pinterest.com via Google Images…
I suppose it might be said I’m feeling rather nostalgic of late…. In keeping with that observation, here is a You Tube Mix of this artist’s works, which I have listened to all my life…. A strong soul, and a pure, smooth voice…. True beauty lasts forever; I hope you enjoy it….
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Confidentially Paranoid
Only when the bright sunlight of dreams draws nigh
can the dark glass of reality factor true value..
Destiny’s horses run in fear as time goes dry,
for grappling with fate in such traitorous venue.
In pallid costumes made of graven cast-off tales,
fallen angels and demons show the measure of faith.
No sad transactions should escape these well-marked trails,
no angry relatives cast insults to a sedentary wraith.
Meaning can always hide in literal cold intent,
yet show mere facets of honor to perishable youth.
Sincere contentions leave with sorrowful bent,
while bastardly arguments fill in poorly for the truth.
Gone are moments filled with florid blasts of rhyme
left to molder on the shoulders of unreasonable hope.
Only courage can save these measures of unspoken time
to gather new issues, powerfully broad, painful in scope.
~~ gigoid ~~
2/25/2015
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Naked Pearls
“Be obscure clearly.”
~~ E.B. White ~~
*******
“The universe is not required to be in perfect harmony with human ambition.”
~~ Carl Sagan ~~
*******
“Believe me!
The secret of reaping the greatest fruitfulness
and the greatest enjoyment from life
is to live dangerously”
~~ Friedrich Wilhelm Nietzsche (1844-1900) ~~
*******
“Apollo, the God of light, of reason, of proportion, harmony, number —
Apollo blinds those who press too close in worship.
Don’t look straight at the sun.
Go into a dark bar and have a beer with Dionysos, every now and then.”
~~ Ursula K. LeGuin ~~
*******
“I shall be telling this with a sigh
Somewhere ages and ages hence:
Two roads diverged in a wood, and I —
I took the one less traveled by,
And that has made all the difference.”
~~ Robert Frost, “The Road Not Taken” ~~
*******
“If you never assume importance you never lose it.”
~~ Lao-tzu ~~
*******
“It is not the oath that makes us believe the man, but the man the oath.”
~~ Aeschylus (525-456 BC), Frag. 385 ~~
*******
“Even death is not to be feared by one who has lived wisely.”
~~ Buddha ~~
*******
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Since I’ve already ‘made do’ with what came before, we’ll continue in that vein, & make do with it for today. Hopefully, there was a nugget or two for your pouch, or a pearl for your collection. In any case, I’ll try again, perhaps even tomorrow. Until then, be well, be happy as you may be, & remember: whatever you do, it’s all your choice. Make good ones….
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 