By Mirabile and DBP and ??
By Mirabile and DBP and ??
:D
The Quiet World
Jeffrey McDaniel
In an effort to get people to look
into each other’s eyes more,
and also to appease the mutes,
the government has decided
to allot each person exactly one hundred
and sixty-seven words, per day.
When the phone rings, I put it to my ear
without saying hello. In the restaurant
I point at chicken noodle soup.
I am adjusting well to the new way.
Late at night, I call my long distance lover,
proudly say I only used fifty-nine today.
I saved the rest for you.
When she doesn’t respond,
I know she’s used up all her words,
so I slowly whisper I love you
thirty-two and a third times.
After that, we just sit on the line
and listen to each other breathe.

DUWAMISH [stanza 1] by Richard Hugo, 1923-1982.
"Midwestern in the heat, this river's /curves are slow and sick. Water knocks /at mills and concrete plants, and crud /compounds the gray. On the out-tide, /water, half salt water from the sea, /rambles by a barrel of molded nails, /gray lumber piles, moss on ovens /in the brickyard no one owns. /Boys are snapping cod spines /and jeering at the Greek who bribes /the river with his sailing coins."
_
Roses are Red
Violets are Blue
Never got the hang of poetry
...
i am quitting here tonight
with a smile on my face
Velvet,
Roses are red,
Violets are blue.
Never got the hang
of poetry. True.
Dahlias are red,
Flaxes are blue.
Your garden is
your poetry. True.
Richard Rhodes, author of "The Making of the Atom Bomb" said writing non fiction is like wood working, sanding the edges. Writing non-fiction is like throwing a clay on the the wheel. But writing poetry is like watch making!
or..#4
4. O Tannenbaum
Suppose it topples over under its weight of bomb-shaped baubles? Suppose it harbors wood-borers which will migrate to the furniture? There is something ghastly about a tree--its look of many-limbed paralysis, its shaggy and conscienceless aplomb--encountered in the open, let alone in the living room. At night, you can hear it rustling and slurping water out of the bucket.
oops..I seem to be repeating myself this evening..
BettytheYeti, I believe the good Dr. Johnson would have liked that.
What? Too olde school?
Alas, cannot be helped. ;)
. . . Who, by his master when caressed, warmly his gratitude expressed,
and never failed his thanks to purr, whe'er he stroked his sable fur.
-P. Stockdale (Dr. Johnson's neighbor)
About Hodge, Dr. J's very fine black (and favorite) cat!
What a fun shot! I've always liked Dr. J, but I don't remember any statue of his cat? It must be in London, right ? Dang, how did I miss that? Well, it's on my list to check out when I make it back that way someday....
FOUND: Poetry on West Seattle Blog
Have you heard that Zippy’s is now serving…Mufasa the kitten?
Unemployment benefits lies, and the lying liars who tell them.
For Sale: Seahawks vs Redskins (You can’t win)
Something doesn’t add up Diana Toledo. Dunham saw Biden coming… pedestrians only have right of way if in a cross walk and you can prove it
AARP tax breaks yoga for “seniors” at Alki Community Center. Where can I buy gymnastics leotards?
Found: Hand tool having a baby at Group Health.
Iraq war is over dog urination law?
PUMPKIN SEEDS need Marty McLaren for School Board buttons
What we’re giving this year instead of Christmas presents: Diarrhea on the doorstep
"Iraq war is over dog urination law?"
Haw haw haw!
Inspired by mirabile:
Sleazy Bank Practices Gluten Free Linoleum floor.
City Nails Bike Thieves Considering adoption of an older dog.
How do I get to Missing House in Junction?
Mike
Hug O' War
by Shel Silverstein
I will not play at tug o' war.
I'd rather play at hug o' war,
Where everyone hugs
Instead of tugs,
Where everyone giggles
And rolls on the rug,
Where everyone kisses,
And everyone grins,
And everyone cuddles,
And everyone wins.
Hugs to everyone this holiday season...especially, Aim, and Social, and miws, and Kootchman, too :)
Right back atcha, Jan!
And everyone else too!
Mike
hugs indeed
agreed
Motherland
Where the hell can you go?

Far from the things that you know

Far from the sprawl of concrete
that keeps crawling its way

'bout a thousand miles a day.
♦ ♦ ♦
Take one last look behind
Commit this to memory and mind

Don't miss this wasteland
this terrible place

when you leave

keep your heart off your sleeve.
Lyrics by Natalie Merchant
Photos by David Preston
For "m"
When You Are Old
—W.B. Yeats
When you are old and gray and full of sleep,
And nodding by the fire, take down this book,
And slowly read, and dream of the soft look
Your eyes had once, and of their shadows deep;
How many loved your moments of glad grace,
And loved your beauty with love false or true,
But one man loved the pilgrim soul in you,
And loved the sorrows of your changing face;
And bending down beside the glowing bars,
Murmur, a little sadly, how Love fled
And paced upon the mountains overhead
And hid his face among a crowd of stars.

—Photo by David Preston
More inspiration, from Mirabile's "Found Poetry":
RANT: Chupacabras tethered to Free Upright Piano.
Need Low-Key Linoleum floor.
Rave: Les Schwab Hot (but not too hot).
Lost Where am I?
A chance at unbanning your Ray Bans.
Moles! please remove
Rave: King County Metro and Vitamin D.
Mike
Free Upright Chupacabras tethered to Moles!
Found: SD Card for LOST: ATM Card.
WSHS Honors Moles!
Rant: Parking ticket in SunGlo 8x10 Greenhouse.
Juicers Juicers double post, please remove.
Selling a Free Upright Piano, Works great Fascinating
FREE Puppy Mouser - unrealistic dream?
Is a $50/hour massage just a pipe dream? - unrealistic dream?
Mike
OK Mike, just what meds have you been given anyway? Creative ones indeed.
The 37
A small spider has
very confidently spun
A web
proudly anchored
to the handicapped seatbelt
of the 37 bus
it may be surprised at it's
first catch
But likely
disappointed
in the reality of the ADA
So much for open field poetry...but I tried...
Yes, m22,
It's sad that it takes meds for
me to be this cre-
ative nowadays.
It all used to come so nat-
urally to me.
Mike
*Health Food Diner By Maya Angelou*
No sprouted wheat and soya shoots
And Brussels in a cake,
Carrot straw and spinach raw,
(Today, I need a steak).
Not thick brown rice and rice pilaf
Or mushrooms creamed on toast,
Turnips mashed and parsnips hashed,
(I'm dreaming of a roast).
Health-food folks around the world
Are thinned by anxious zeal,
They look for help in seafood kelp
(I count on breaded veal).
No smoking signs, raw mustard greens,
Zucchini by the ton,
Uncooked kale and bodies frail
Are sure to make me run
to
Loins of pork and chicken thighs
And standing rib, so prime,
Pork chops brown and fresh ground round
(I crave them all the time).
Irish stews and boiled corned beef
and hot dogs by the scores,
or any place that saves a space
For smoking carnivores.
Are your Christmas lights Fascinating(?)
Candidates tethered to signs/bike racks outside stores Selling a few things...
West Seattle Upright Cats, Dogs & Ferrets
Cockroach Candidates.
Civil Disobedience: Works great
How many keys come with a new cat(?)
Irish Dance Classes in Oil boiler.
Need gift ideas for Moles!
Do you have a skiff at Uptown Expresso(?)
Adoptable Viaduct(s).
Pickup Red plastic dog bowl.
Thinking about Tough Issues.
How come you hate Accidental Paint(?)
RANT - Throwing Snowballs on Concrete slab.
Thinking about relocating...a bag of PCC groceries.
Swedish West Seattle SPANISH CONVERSATION.
From Deep in the WSB Forums Archive (like 3+ years ago):
For crying out loud -Any Drum Corps fans out there?
Random question -Fishing?
What\'s your take on Picnic Areas(?)
Found: yellow Flashing yellow lights.
Help! Abandoned house behind mine is full of Dogs Loose at Parks...
Dogs Loose at Parks Fire Hydrant.
Coyotes? Raccoons? Chupachabra? vs. Harbor Ave. drivers
Bricks Good neighbors?
Blue Angels frighten Flashing yellow lights.
EEK! Teeth-marks in My Chupachabra.
Moving Boxes I will miss you...
A reminder to microchip your crazy neighbors.
Need recommendations on SAFE Horse Manure.
Gotta have some Horse Manure.
Horse Manure at Colman Pool?
I heart Horse Manure.
The Loneliest Job in the World
Tony HoaglandAs soon as you begin to ask the question, Who loves me?
you are completely screwed, because
the next question is How Much?and then it is hundreds of hours later,
and you are still hunched over
your flowcharts and abacus,trying to decide if you have gotten enough.
This is the loneliest job in the world:
to be an accountant of the heart.It is late at night. You are by yourself,
and all around you, you can hear
the sounds of people movingin and out of love,
pushing the turnstiles, putting
their coins in the slots,paying the price which is asked,
which constantly changes.
No one knows why.
—This post is dedicated to Bostonman.
Not because I love him that much.
But just because he's an accountant.

Lazy Van full of people with Free Seasoned Firewood.
HELP!!! Occupy Dog waste removal.
When WSB Videos Dog waste removal.
Lazy Van full of people with Dog waste.
BMW Z4 Driver full of Dog waste.
miws..
are you trying imply that the posters on the forum have become scatological ?
No, but some are hottie(s). ;-)
Mike
In honor of the weather and the forecast.
Winter
Words and music by John Denver, Mike Taylor & Dick Kniss
It's cold and it's getting colder. It's gray and white and winter all around.
And oh, I must be getting older, all this snow is trying to get me down.
There's a fire in the corner slowly dying, sometimes I just don't feel like going on anymore.
And yet I know it's more than worth the waiting for another chance to see the summer sun,
come on, shine on me.
There's a fire in the corner slowly dying, sometimes I just don't feel like going on anymore.
And yet I know it's more than worth the waiting for another chance to see the summer sun,
come on, shine on me.
Admonitions To A Special Person
Anne SextonWatch out for power,
for its avalanche can bury you,
snow, snow, snow, smothering your mountain.Watch out for hate,
it can open its mouth and you'll fling yourself out
to eat off your leg, an instant leper.Watch out for friends,
because when you betray them,
as you will,
they will bury their heads in the toilet
and flush themselves away.Watch out for intellect,
because it knows so much it knows nothing
and leaves you hanging upside down,
mouthing knowledge as your heart
falls out of your mouth.Watch out for games, the actor's part,
the speech planned, known, given,
for they will give you away
and you will stand like a naked little boy,
pissing on your own child-bed.Watch out for love
(unless it is true,
and every part of you says yes including the toes),
it will wrap you up like a mummy,
and your scream won't be heard
and none of your running will end.Love? Be it man. Be it woman.
It must be a wave you want to glide in on,
give your body to it, give your laugh to it,
give, when the gravelly sand takes you,
your tears to the land. To love another is something
like prayer and can't be planned, you just fall
into its arms because your belief undoes your disbelief.Special person,
if I were you I'd pay no attention
to admonitions from me,
made somewhat out of your words
and somewhat out of mine.
A collaboration.
I do not believe a word I have said,
except some, except I think of you like a young tree
with pasted-on leaves and know you'll root
and the real green thing will come.Let go. Let go.
Oh special person,
possible leaves,
this typewriter likes you on the way to them,
but wants to break crystal glasses
in celebration,
for you,
when the dark crust is thrown off
and you float all around
like a happened balloon.

Photo by David Preston
I play Santa every year for a non-profit, the following I wrote 13 or 14 years ago to read to some of my visits.
It has become a hit and requested often, I sincerly hope you enjoy it too...
THE ORIGIN OF SANTA CLAUS
A LONG, LONG TIME AGO
IN A LAND FAR, FAR AWAY,
WHERE THERE WERE 24 HOURS IN A DARK NIGHT
AND 24 MORE HOURS IN A BRIGHT SUNNY DAY,
LIVED A MAN AND A WOMAN WHO WERE ALL ALONE
NOT A FRIEND NEAR BY, NOR A T.V. OR A PHONE,
THEY WANTED A CHILD TO MAKE THEIR LIVES HAPPY
SOMEONE TO CALL HER MAMMA, THE MAN WANTED TO BE CALLED PAPPY,
ON ONE COLD WINTERS NIGHT
THE WOMAN GAVE BIRTH TO THE STRANGEST SIGHT,
A PINK LITTLE BOY WITH WHITE HAIR AND A BEARD
SHE TURNED TO HER HUSBAND AND SAID “THIS IS WEIRD!”
THE BOYS EYES DID SPARKLE, HIS FOREHEAD HAD A WRINKLE
HIS NOSE WAS RED & ROUND, HIS FATHER DECLARED “WE’LL CALL HIM CHRIS CRINKLE”,
HE GREW UP AN ONLY CHILD IN A LARGE AND LONELY PLACE
BY THIS CHRIS WAS NOT BOTHERED, HE ALWAYS KEPT A SMILE ON HIS FACE,
BECAUSE CHRIS HAD NO FRIENDS WITH WHICH TO PLAY
NOT EVEN A DOG TO SHARE HIS DAY,
HE BEGAN TO MAKE THINGS OUT OF WHAT HE COULD FIND
STICKS & ROCKS, PIECES OF MATERIAL AND DRIED FRUIT OF ANY KIND,
CHRIS BECAME VERY SKILLED AT FOLDING & HAMMERING, GLUEING & SUCH
HE WOULD SAW, CARVE & PAINT, HIS CREATIONS WERE MUCH, ERR MANY,
AS CHRIS GREW OLDER HIS IDEAS BECAME BETTER
BICYCLES & RADIOS, DOLLS, TRUCKS AND A SWEATER,
HIS WORKSHOP WAS PILED FROM THE FLOOR TO THE CEILING
WITH THOUSANDS OF ITEMS, WHICH ALL WERE APPEALING,
WHAT TO DO WITH IT ALL CHRIS DID NOT KNOW
HE HAD NO ONE TO GIVE THEM TO, HE HAD NO WHERE TO GO,
ONE DAY WHILE OUT WALKING CHRIS FOUND A DARK CAVE
INSIDE HE MET AN ADOMINABLE SNOWMAN WHO CALLED HIMSELF DAVE,
THEY TALKED & LAUGHED, SANG SONGS AND TOLD JOKES
THEY WENT BACK TO CHRIS’ HOUSE WERE DAVE MET HIS FOLKS,
CHRIS SHOWED DAVE ALL THE WONDERFUL THINGS HE COULD MAKE
HE TOLD DAVE “WHATEVER YOU LIKE, YOU CAN TAKE”,
DAVE SAID “THANK YOU, I MUST BE GETTING BACK”
HE HAD AN IDEA, HE WAS HAVING A ‘THOUGHT ATTACK’,
BACK IN HIS CAVE, DAVE BEGAN TO CUT AND PIECE, TRIM AND SEW
HE TOILED ALL NIGHT LONG, CHRIS WOULD LOVE THIS HE DID KNOW,
PACKED NICELY IN A BOX WITH A BIG RED BOW THAT HE TIED REAL HARD
FINDING A PEN HE WROTE “TO CHRIS, FROM DAVE” ON A NICE LITTLE CARD,
DAVE WAITED 24 HOURS UNTIL THE FALL OF NIGHT
WHILE THE CRINKLES WERE SLEEPING THE GIFT WOULD BE LEFT IN SIGHT,
UNDER A BIG GREEN TREE THEY HAD GROWING IN THEIR HOUSE
DAVE SNUCK DOWN THE CHIMNEY AS QUIET AS A MOUSE,
THE NEXT MORNING CHRIS AWOKE TO A WONDERFUL SURPRISE
WHAT HE SAW THERE BROUGHT TEARS TO HIS BLUE EYES,
A BOX WITH A BOW AND A CARD TO HIM FROM DAVE
SOMETHING SO WARM AND FUZZY, FOREVER CHRIS WOULD SAVE
(ASK THE KIDS WHAT THEY THINK WAS IN THE BOX)
IT WAS A BRIGHT RED JACKET, PANTS AND A FUNNY SHAPED HAT
WITH WHITE FLUFFY FUR TRIMMING ALL OF THAT,
EACH PIECE FIT PERFECTLY, CHRIS WOULD WEAR IT WITH PRIDE
HIS PARENTS WERE HAPPY FOR HIM, IT MADE CHRIS FEEL GOOD INSIDE,
WEARING THE SUIT HE STARTED WALKING TO THE CAVE
TO SAY THANK YOU TO HIS NEW FRIEND DAVE,
SUDDENLY THE SKIES GREW DARK AND THE WIND BEGAN TO BLOW
OH NO, IT’S A TORANDO!!!
THE WINDS BLEW SO HARD CHRIS BEGAN TO FLY
WITH HIS HAT IN HIS HAND HE FLEW HIGH INTO THE SKY,
FOR HOURS CHRIS RODE ON THE WINDS OF THE TORNADO
WHEN HE AWOKE HE LAID IN A STRANGE LAND ALL COVERED WITH SNOW,
LOOKING ALL AROUND ALL CHRIS COULD SEE
WHERE A LOT OF SHORT PEOPLE NO TALLER THAN HIS BELLY,
THEY HELPED CHRS UP AND WIPE OFF ALL THE SNOW
TO WHERE THEY LED HIM CHRIS DID NOT KNOW,
THEY CAME TO A THING THAT BIG & RED WITH A FRONT A BACK SEAT
A FANTASTIC CREATION AND BOY WAS IT NEAT,
THERE WERE NO DOORS OR NO ROOF, NOT EVEN A WINDOW
INSTEAD OF TIRES THERE WERE BLACK METAL RUNNERS ON WHICH IT WOULD GO,
ON THE BACK WAS A LARGE NAMEPLATE THAT READ “SANTA CLAUS”
IN FRONT CHRIS FOUND 9 SETS OF PAWS, I MEAN HOOFS,
CHRIS CRINKLE WAS PERPLEXED, HE ASKED THE ELVES TO EXPLAIN
“WELL, TALL RED-SUITED STRANGER, THIS IS SANTA’S AIRPLANE”,
THEN THE HEAD ELF SAID…
“THE REINDEER ARE MAGICAL, THEY FLY ONLY AT NIGHT
THEY FLY FAST THEY FLY FAR, WITHOUT FEAR, WITHOUT FRIGHT”,
APPROACHING THE REINDEER CHRIS SAW NAME TAGS MADE OF BRASS
ONE FOR EACH ANIMAL TIED FIRMLY AROUND ITS…………….NECK,
ON THE RIGHT SIDE WAS DASHER, DANCER, PRANCER AND VIXEN
TO THEIR LEFT WAS COMET, CUPID, DONNER AND BLITZEN,
UP FRONT STOOD THE NINTH REINDEER WHO WOULD LEAD
THE EIGHT OTHERS, WITH A SPECIAL GIFT THAT SANTA WOULD NEED,
“HIS NOSE GLOWS RED” SAID THE ELF AFTER A COUGH
“THIS ONE IS VERY SPECIAL, WE CALL HIM RUDOLF”,
CHRIS WAS EXCITED BY WHAT HE HAD LEARNED
“WHAT IS THE SLEIGHS PURPOSE?” HE ASKED WITH A CONCERNED,
THE HEAD-ELF SAID. “COME, WE’LL SHOW YOU” AND EXCITEDLY BEGAN TO HOP
THEY STOPPED AT A BIG BRICK BUILDING WITH A SIGN THAT READ “SANTA’S WORKSHOP”,
WHEN CHRIS WALKED THROUGH THE DOOR, ALL HE COULD SEE
WERE HUNDREDS OF ELVES WORKING AND SINGING HAPPILY,
JUST AS IN CHRIS’ WORKSHOP ALL THING WERE MADE BY HAND
BUT BECAUSE OF ELFIN MAGIC, THESE ITEMS WERE MUCH MORE GRAND,
SCRATCHING HIS HEAD WITH CURIOSITY, CHRIS HAD A THOUGHT
HE ASKED “WHAT DO YOU DO WITH THIS FABULOUS LOT?”
THE HEAD-ELF FIRST PUT A SMILE ON HIS FACE
AND AROUND IN CIRCLES THE OTHERS BEGAN TO PACE,
THEY STOOD ON THEIR HEADS, POINTED EARS AND POINTED NOSE
THEN THEY GOT BACK ONTO THEIR FEET WITH THE CURLY, POINTED TOES,
HE SAID, “WE’VE BEEN WAITING FOR SOMEONE LIKE YOU, YOU SEE
A MAN WHO WEARS A RED SUIT AND IT TALLER THAN ME”,
“WHO’S STRONG ENOUGH TO FLY THE SLEIGH THAT’S BEYOND MY MIGHT
TO FLY AROUND THE WORLD ONCE A YEAR AND ONE VERY SPECIAL NIGHT”,
“TO DELIVER THE GIFTS MADE BY THE ELFENS HERE
AND BRING TO ALL THE BOYS & GIRLS A WONDERFUL CHEER”,
(PAUSE)
“I’LL DO IT” SAID CHRIS AFTER A MOMENTS PAUSE
BUT ONLY IF I CAN CHANGE MY NAME TO SANTA CLAUS”
SO, ALL MY LITTLE FRIENDS IN YOUR EYES I CAN SEE A TWNIKLE
BECAUSE NOW YOU KNOW WHY I HAVE TWO NAMES, SANTA CLAUS AND CHRIS CHRINKLE,
BUT DON’T FORGET MY REINDEER WITH THEIR MAGICAL GIFT OF FLIGHT
SO I CAN COME TO YOUR HOUSE ON THIS CHRISTMAS EVE NIGHT,
THERE’S DASHER & DANCER, PRANCER & VIXEN
AND COMET & CUPID, DONNER & BLITZEN, BUT WHO’S THE MOST FAMOUS REINDEER OF ALL?
DESPITE THE COLD WEATHER, MY HEART'S COCKLES WERE WARMED
BY SBRE - YOUR POEM, SO SPLENDIDLY FORMED
(Yes, Mirabile, there really is a Santa Claus.)
ditto
DAVE SAID “THANK YOU, I MUST BE GETTING BACK”
HE HAD AN IDEA, HE WAS HAVING A ‘THOUGHT ATTACK’
Yeah, I know just how that feels . . .
You never where you'll be or what you'll be doing when a thought attack strikes.
It's pretty scary.
:-)
HARDLY USED BROTHER Missing Some Tires?
HARDLY USED mercedes mechanic?!
What say, BROTHER(?)
QUIET BROTHER(!)
RANT - Throwing injured wild life
White Center: You need a massage !
What to do with Eye Doctor?
I make kids
Onion rings for intellectuals
Ooh, good ones, redblack!
Welcome to our little club!
Mike
Coward
A.R. Ammons
Bravery runs in my family.
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