Why do you clap? I spent yesterday in a mild traveler’s disturbia that seems to be our legacy for the future. First the flight was delayed, then after boarding we sat while warning light inconsistencies were investigated, then we were made to get off the plane, then back on, out to the runway, where the …
Author Archives: mysterious6030
Confession
The most introverted girl in the world, Anorexic, not socialized enough to even aspire to shyness, A thin, frightened teen with a thin, frightened voice, Timidly knocked at our door. In fear she confessed to my roommate That she was trying to study next door, And that the music was just a bit too loud, …
The Approach
The approach to the mystery Is not made by paths of ritual. Though four hundred thousand Have trod this trail before, Their footsteps leave no trace To guide the wary traveler. Instead, Consider the sensation of that small eyelash Or mite of dust, beneath the eyelids As you rub them wearily, even doubting That any …
Friday Vocabulary
1. velleity — the merest wish, without any attempt to gain it For some, reading self-help books becomes an end in itself, substituting a velleity for a program. 2. hamartia — tragic flaw Bill Clinton’s sexual misadventures seem matched by the hubris of many politicians today, but they pale beside Nixon’s hamartia — a …
Reverting The Code
The tired despair I feel on rolling back the latest code Should really not compare to heartsick feelings for the wronged, The pained, the lost, the dying, lonely unwashed left alone. And yet…. The hordes of homeless, each intersection’s beggars, The staring children of hopeless hunger and mothers with matted hair, Compel me only to …
Friday Vocabulary
1. stound — a throbbing pain; ache Her unkind words left a stound in my heart. 2. calced — wearing shoes According to past popular misconception, the calced natives of the South consisted solely of the upper class. 3. feckless — irresponsible, unreliable The feckless attempts of politicians to fulfill their campaign promises …
Doggerel
Their tails beat a metronome of desire As the last candle concedes its fire. They trail my wife with eager feet Hovering, quavering, awaiting their treat. As she closes the door and from the pantry repairs, Already the twain have dashed up the stairs, Attentive and breathless, with focus complete, As idle footfalls sound retreat. …
Reflections on the Woman Cutting in Line at the Airport
1. That she is rude 2. That she is uncaring 3. That she has defective math skills, and does not realize that 29 is a later number than 26 4. That she is unskilled in logic, and does not realize that her A29 means one and only one person might be behind her in the …
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Friday Vocabulary
1. dehiscence — bursting of a surgical closure; opening of seed-pod or fruits The vomitous debate about raising the debt ceiling threatens either the dehiscence of red ink across our children’s future or a return to the safety net of feudalism. 2. paltering — insincere, lying speech But your selfish tongue brings only paltering …
Writing Poem
I am not yet ready to write this poem, Yet, knowing this, I cannot refrain. An unnoted thought may forever escape, Never to visit again. Someday I may understand these words, Learn the craft, the wiles, and the way To place beautifully the beauty I see, but cannot say. Perhaps in the future the ageless …