“To do good work one must eat well, be well housed, have one’s fling from time to time, smoke one’s pipe, and drink one’s coffee in peace” Vincent Van Gogh, Dutch, painter, coffee, International Coffee Day Sept. 30 – Oct 1
Month: September 2017
from Teacher as Transformer blog
I begin this post with two points. First, I am not American. I spend time in the US and enjoy my time there. One thing I enjoy, and I shared with my students, is the way Americans respond to their National Anthem. Second, Canada, where I live, has social and historical skeletons in the closet […]
the rest of the story
we danced on tables
all night
during those wild crazy days
of summer
laid under a blanket
on the beach
whispering love poems
sat on the edge
of a volcano
eating barbecue
and counted stars
under a western sky
a lifetime ago
you were every woman
who ever accompanied me
in every story
on all the pages
of my life
for you are my last love
obliterating every other love
that ever was
with the passion
in my heart
for you
now if only
I could find you
the rest of the story
is already written
roads took: Beppe’s song
they talk about roads not taken
but I think of roads took
choices made
that led me here
so very far from home
and home is where you go
when there’s no place left
to run
a familiar landscape
under a familiar sun
the moon looks down
not alone
as long as the moon
looks down
on you
on me
though far apart
as I look up
your eyes too
are there
old telephone numbers
Of course, we must die.
How else will the world be rid of
the old telephone numbers
we cannot forget.
The numbers
it would be foolish–
utterly useless–
to call.
Charles Reznikoff
life, again
when all else fails
there’s always life
coming along to surprise you
it could be some gesture
a spoken word, or two
perhaps the touch of a friend
or someone not so friendly
a flood in the neighborhood
power shortages
a voice from the heavens
or someplace further south
or perhaps someone seen
in a different light
you know, something you didn’t expect
good or bad or indifferent
but you’re stopped short
breath held
there on the precipice
whatever balance you thought you achieved
is now called into question
go or stay
throw all caution to the proverbial winds
this business called life
suddenly changes
and whatever rules applied before
no longer matter
it is a new day
or maybe evening
and all you have are what’s left of your wits
so saddle up, partner
whatever it is
it’s begun
knocking on wood
an old habit
when things seem
to be going
as planned
and life smiles
on your wary heart
even the cat
sensitive to these things
notices change
in the air
Blue Water Song by Li Po
Blue water
burning moon
on South Lake
he gathers lillies
the lotus flowers
whisper
the lone boatman
sighs
translated by David Young
from Among Ruins by Li Ho
to have come all this way
to find nothing but distance
and the bronze columns of the gods
long since vanished
translated by David Young
Leonard Durso 