The Ice Storm

The winter of ’71 had been mild by North Shore standards. A dusting of snow had frosted the countryside the first week of the new year but a thaw returned the barren hills to mud by the end of the month. In the paddocks… Read full post »

World politics is Shakespearean at its root. North Korea believes that big Uncle China has it' s back. 

The Mandarins imagine:

"Another  capitalistic economy beholding on us for its existence ?                        … Read full post »

The half dozen of you who ever read my posts know I write poems about my cat Angel on a regular basis. .Yesterday, Angel' at age 21' died. The poor girl , blind and suffering from the Kitty Kat equivalent of Alzheimers forgot to dodge the SUV on our road. I held my… Read full post »

My baby twitches

Her ears alert to

Secret sounds.

Her fur is soft,

An always welcome dream,

But life intrudes

20 years in human life

a hundred plus in Kitty Kat.

She is blind.

The once familiar contours

Of her world… Read full post »

The Dragon,

tattooed on my arm

lives!

It slithers,

hisses,

drives its bony claws into my flesh. 

 The Dragon,

curls comfortable

around my elbow.

It owns the 20 inches

 where it lays.

The Dragon,

smells of death,

sulphuric, acrid death.

Yet somehow,

reminds me of life. 

  Read full post »

I love football. I like the Jets and the Raiders but I mean real football: the beautiful sport! 

I played in college in the 70's; I coached for years in the 80's and I still feel like the younger brother with the odd obsession.

Soccer players (alright I give in to… Read full post »

I have been pretty much absent from OS. Writing to me is not so much a compulsion as a welcomed distraction. 

But, (bad grammar lol) I had an experience today that I feel compelled to write about.

Some background: I am disabled, haven't worked in nearly 5 years. I ended a… Read full post »

Some ideas on how to use variants more to come.

Dijonnaise: Add 1 Tbl Dijon mustard in first step.

French beef sandwich: Split 6 in long piece of French baguette and spread with mayonnaise. Layer thinly sliced lean roast beef, Gruyere cheese, sliced heirloom tomatoes and romaine hearts on… Read full post »

I am as guilty as anyone of using the stuff in the jar but for special meals there is nothing like making your own. Mayonnaise also takes very kindly to additional ingredients which transform it into something else tasty and wonderful.

Basic Mayonnaise:

2 large egg yolks… Read full post »

I love women:

The more inscrutable

The more alluring.

Cat like they ignore my efforts.

Dog like I slavishly persist

There was a movie once

Or maybe a television show

That spoke of

The ones who bring pleasure and… Read full post »

My cat is sexy

When she sleeps:

Amorphous ball of fur.

My cat is sexy

When she yawns:

Serrated mother of mine.

My cat is sexy

When she cleans:

A lustful tongue, the envy  of the girls.

My cat is sexy… Read full post »

The IOC plans to investigate Canada's Women's hockey team for a 30 minute on-ice celebration of Olympic gold.

My opinion: investigate doping, unfair sponsorship and let the girls enjoy their victory.

  Read full post »

Every man needs a woman:

Partner,

Mother.

Whore,

Every man needs a woman

I need a voice

That tells me when I’m wrong

Obstinate,

Truculent,

Or merely Silly.

I need a lap

Where I can lay… Read full post »

Recently an OS member from the teaching profession asked "Why read great literature?" I racked my brain for an answer and every attempt sounded either trite, elitist or downright silly.

This exercise  got me thinking about what I consider great literature. Below is part 1 of the works… Read full post »

Tear soaked pillows

Muffle howls

Of feigned regret

And loss.

Needles through

A dust dry tongue:

Pointed words

Of vengeance

To a

gently cupping

Ear.

Guilt edged sobs

Inhaled,

Expelled,

And… Read full post »

AS REPORTED ON BBC.CO.UK 

What do you think? 

 A French parliamentary committee has recommended a partial ban on women wearing Islamic face veils.

The committee's near 200-page report has proposed a ban in hospitals, schools, government offices and on public transport.

It also recommen… Read full post »

One of my favorite actresses passed away today at the age of 80. Jean Simmons who appeared in Guys and Dolls, Spartacus and voiced many biblical documentaries died of lung cancer today.

As a 12 year old I had an awesome crush on her; as an adult I was floored by… Read full post »

Fydor saw the world

in terms of good and bad

yet never black or white.

What made the criminal unique

made the saint prosaic.

Passion and sensuality

were his palatte,

yet the subtle mysticisim

of self

his portrait.

Russians are a crazy lot:

Chekov, Gogol or Pushkin,

you never know… Read full post »

Read full post »

Those of you that have read my earlier posts are aware that ego, shame and self importance are concepts not high on my list of things worth worrying about. Perhaps it is a diminished sense of self, perhaps a perverse need to share a bottom up view of the world,… Read full post »

Angel cleans her fur,

Manic or meticulous,

Every strand is licked

Straightened

Blocked

And curried.

The world agape,

Alive or mournful,

Waits on

Her

Wakeful or dead.

Angel cleans her fur,

And deigns

Her pleasure us to see.

Commands

Our

Pleasure to be bound.

The sharp and furry

The… Read full post »

Britain has just named a new poet laureate: Carol Ann Duffy.She is one of my absolute favorite contemporary poets. Below is one of her pieces. Google her and enjoy. 

I put two yellow peepers in an owl.
Wow. I fix the grin of Crocodile.
Spiv. I sew the slither of an eel.
I… Read full post »

There is a growing din on the far Right. Wafting along on talk radio and Fox News airwaves is the sound of desperation. Unable to convince the bulk of Americans that the President’s efforts to “fix” the economy are either wrongheaded, Socialist or economic Fascism the drumbeat now c… Read full post »

This one is by my son Jacob. It's about Syd Barret, the mad genius behind Pink Floyd.

 Please comment.

I wish I had Syd Barret's head in a box
I'd put it on and see what life looks like from the beyond
The rouge souls, chasing halos, that can't be stopped
Opel says the… Read full post »

Pain

When mollified

With

Booze

And vicodin

Is soft and syrupy

Like molasses on a sunny August day.

Anther day

It’s edges

Sharp

And crystalline

puncture skin and fat

and ooze purple tears: hot wax like drops on cheek.

Pain

When ignored

Forgot,

Unhailed

Thus relegated to

The underbell… Read full post »