Culture

. La Vie en Rose  I came across that daft old ditty “Tiptoe Through the Tulips”And wondered why its lyrics didn’t rhyme “tulips” with “true lips.”I’ve learned, you see, that botany brings great linguistic power---Like formulating works which vaunt the lilac and sunflower!Now, had that song been mine I would...

. The Vile Monkey and the Patient Buffalo ---adapted from a Jataka tale of India A powerful old buffalo Once ranged the Indian countryside. Over the rolling hills, in cool Dark caves and tangled woods, he plied. One day, he found a tree where he could rest And for a...

. Blood, Sea ---after Italo Calvino Beyond the blight of urban sprawl, About six hundred yards from shore, A pod of fishing vessels trawl The coastal waters. Sea gulls soar And dip above the crack and spall Of massive piers in search of gore And kitchen scraps. Crustaceans crawl Along...

. On Charlie Kirk and His Assassins Make people think. Engage them in debate. Allow them to articulate with reason The things they think. Defuse their unearned hate And gently guide them back from wrath and treason. Show Christian love and yet an iron hand. Be patient with them, they...

. Why She Broke Up with Him Not long before their college graduation, His bright and beautiful four-year girlfriend, With no more than a sudden conversation, Brought their long-happy romance to an end. The guy was devastated, and shut down. He absolutely could not fathom why, Though he’d be leaving...

. Thy Servant Elizabeth _“Well-done, unswerving servant,” _All the church bells rang _On all the roads of England, _While all the angels sang _Above the long procession _That formed her funeral; _The car conveyed her body _As her Christ assumed her soul. _In clashing grief and triumph, _The strong-voiced, iron-tongued...

. Black Holes Some say the universe is full of holes That suck in all that is. At warp-speed, gone. One wonders where was space-time goes. Like souls, perhaps, through portals to some wide-eyed dawn. Or through a trap door dumped below death’s hell No speck escapes, no world, no...

. Prefab Tabernacle They placed their prefab tabernacle there Between the supermarket and the gym And come each Sunday, clad in activewear, From force of habit, happenstance, or whim. But there’s no place for saints nor seraphim Within Eternity’s wan waiting room, So distant from that disconcerting tomb; Just folding...

. Ned's Bad Day The gear that he intended was reverse,But to his detriment, he put the carIn drive. At least he didn't get too far;And all in all, it could've been much worse. The only other "victim" was a tree,A pine that Ned had scraped along the side.He'd peeled...

. Meddling A pair of cardinals build a Maytime nest outside my home, deep in a boxwood tree. My window bids me peek, watch them progress: their secret ways we can so rarely see. Three one-inch eggs, so bluish, speckled-quaint. The female broods, orange-beaked beatitude. Now two have hatched, begin...

. Hypnos Wraiths of twilight-conjured mist: At last, a prospect of release. Come child, keep our nightly tryst. To you, the wakeful weariest, _I bring unconscious peace. Steal softly past your unlaid ghosts, Ignore the creaking of your stair, Embrace the nightmares you dread most; Your time has come to...

. Surviving the Cultural Revolution Why should this tourist want to take my picture? I’m just a woman who is very old--- He photographs me as I sweep the streets And gather trash to justify my rice. What could I tell this foolish, shallow man Whose camera records but cannot...

. At Brown University, 14 August 2025 It is a fitting name, at least, For every building that I see Is carved from this old color, like Some wise and sprawling, kindly tree. It’s island academia, Amidst a bustling Providence; I sit upon the quad, in thought Of hues that...

. Band of Brothers A picture of two soldiers in their prime. A scribbled note in cursive on the back. “My Dearest Son, if ever comes a time When I am gone, whatever you may lack Or need, just phone this number. When you do, Just tell the man who...

. Coming Attractions (1994) Black is white, white is black, two and two is three. Put your common sense away, all you need is me. I’m the soothing voice, the calming face on your TV. Let me settle all your fears, all you need is me. I’ll raise you up...

. Listen Britannia! Listen Britannia! All ye who would never be slaves. Hear the word of the Lord, He who rescues and saves, _For they who won't hark will dwell in the dark, __And will slump under rule of the knaves. Listen Britannia! Shed all your shackles and chains. All...

. A Rant . I. Pay for a surrogate to birth you a kid. Feed it on formula falsely construed. Drop it in daycare for hours on end; shunt it to public-school where it’s imbued with half-truths of History and little lies fostered by doctors deluded or dumb. The Mission:...

. When Prices Surge What happens to the prices when demand outstrips finite supply? Well, you’ll be darned to know that unlike all those years ago (when playing fields were level) for a show, to watch a band like Queen, the cost was set at just ten quid---you’d not end...

. Gull Pacing the parapet hungrily eyeing papers and plastic cups in the dust, her kin overhead, wheeling, crying, watching their chance to steal a crust. Floating down from the gable roof, landing nearby with a busy hustle, sidling close but warily aloof, her breeze making papers gently rustle wings...

. Shackled I crave a morning hit when I rise up, A trifle touch to take the edge away To spur me on to get my coffee cup. Don’t talk while I eat breakfast. Go away. I want a bitty bit of my sweet drug. I do my chores and...

. Farewell Colbert Late-night TV, when it started, didn’t have a path yet charted, but had teams of wise advisors who knew they’d need advertisers. Advertisers wanted viewers, who demanded interviewers that could make their lives seem brighter, while they sold what made teeth whiter. That became the rationale in...

. News of a Coup The news of a coup hits the headlines. No ears prick to listen or hear. The proof plucked from yesterday’s grapevines Has dried with the last dusty tear Of natives once proud of their history Till tyrants tore roots from their tree In lands where...

. To the Ancient Mariner “O Wedding-Guest! This soul hath beenAlone on a wide wide sea;So lonely ‘twas, that God himselfScarce seeméd there to be.” ---Samuel Taylor Coleridge, The Rime of the Ancient Mariner O, Mariner! What pain you felt---The sea would neither freeze nor melt,_As you abjured the Cross!Twixt...

. Uxorious? He tried to guard composure as he pressed the new denarius to his chapped lips and unbecoming tears for noblemen slipped privately to stain his cheeks and bed. “Faustina, death entombs a healthful rest while dolor molds my mood,” his voice had slipped, “but I’ve betrothed your memory...

. Modes of Divination The future’s course, in all of its essentials, Is augured from a steaming heap of entrails. The tea leaves, buoyed by meniscus, Will show you where the greatest risk is. For aging hippies, using the I Ching. Is probably a nearly perfect thing. Astrologers are confident...

. Attention Deficit Disorder I once had a friend like Midas.All he touched would turn to gold;but after he would touch itthe thing would soon get old. He’d focus for a while.He’d train and run and race.His talent was uncanny.He’d leave without a trace. We’d wonder where he’d went to.We’d...

. Mnemonic Device for Military Pro-Signs A-Z Pro-signs are an alphabetical coding system used by the military for radio transmissions or for the naming of various units, to insure complete clarity of reference. ALPHA is a top-notch male, the chief and number one— BRAVO is the thing you shout when...

. Mary ---a sequel to “Martha," prompted by James A. Tweedie The night grew still, the lamps gave off a hush,And Martha’s footsteps faded down the hall.The coals were low, the herbs gave one last flush -Their fragrance lingered barely there at all. Then Mary rose, her hands clasped near...

. Sidewalk Sincerity “Hi---how are you?” he said to me, A friendly thing to say, I answered just as cordially, But he had walked away. . . Evolution I love to have close relatives and numerous good friends, Maintaining each relationship so that it never ends. But in a move...

. Falun Dafa Parade The heartbeat of a marching band lies in the beating drums, The power of a sleeping beast that shakes the ground with thrums. An energy that fills the air and lifts you from your core, The rising glow within your heart that speaks of so much...

. Autism Sonnet The lights are much too light and sounds too loud; And thoughts are only thought in black and white; Try to tolerate a middling crowd And talk so small, so pointless, so polite. To hyper-focus is the narrow way That leads to life, that few will ever...

. Spotlights and Shadows . I. To a Limelight Leech O swankpot of the swish-and-swagger ilk Basking in your braggadocio glow, __You stoop so long and low To lap up flattery as slick as silk That spills from ovine swine of kiss-arse lip. __This eely spiel Propels your ego on...

. Artificial “Intelligence” Versus Real Intelligence Chat GPT “confuses” metaphors and similes. It also “struggles” to correctly classify milled themes. It does not “understand” the difference of proper nouns and neologisms that it has “found.” It’s not “pro-found.” It’s lacking “knowledge” and much “cultural significance.” Without “emotional nuance,” it “dwells”...

. Life on This Boat Here in this lifeboat we hopelessly wait, No one rows now, we are all but deadweight, Minding our manners, and now the first mate, Starting to smell like the raw fish we ate. What can we do in our unguided boat? Helping each other’s how...

. Silent Movies As silent movies play inside your head, Their scattered shadows, faint and far away, You try to understand what's being said, As silent movies play inside your head— Remembrance of a life that you once led. The memories are left in disarray, As silent movies play inside...

. Legion Hello there friend, our name is Legion We are those same 6000 demons Who long ago in Gerasenes Became a man’s mental disease. We took a normal happy child And turned him feral, naked, wild, Drove him to live amongst the tombs With open sores, infected wounds, Covered...

. The Power I’ve noticed more and more of late My power to infuriate Is stronger than it’s ever been. I exercise it even when I try to be both dull and sweet And humble, willing, incomplete. Infuriation fills the air; I feel it in each icy stare, The phone...

. Absalom, Absalom "Then David sent out one third of the people… And the king said to the people, 'I also will surely go out with you myself.' But the people answered, 'You shall not go out! … You are worth ten thousand of us now. For you are now...

. The Gaza War The Gaza war goes on and on With death and ruin in its wake. A war hard fought but never won; Like sifting water from a lake. And yet a war that must be fought, War born from war from war from war, The price to...

. The Bristlecone Pine For centuries, the stalwart pine has stood __in this unwonted spot. Its shallow roots and resinous hard wood __shield it from drought and rot. __Thin soil, high winds, cold air: it thrives where other living things cannot. __Dear tree, please hear my prayer. __Lend me your...