Always embrace the mundane– It is the handle of the present moment. The texture of your toothbrush’s stem And the minty taste of dentifrice Are the tendrils of eternity Penetrating your morning routine. Dread not the washing Of your dishes after breakfast, Nor the packing of your children’s lunches. Rush not through the traffic, Nor [...]
Happiness can abound When a man eats In his apartment alone. Manhattans and hors d’oeuvres In the living room, The stuffed mushrooms from a recipe In Julia Child’s book– A gift from a dear one Who now lives far away. A sumptuous plate in the kitchen– The Cornish hen’s preparation Taught long ago by a [...]
My Aunt Rosemary is my mother’s oldest sister. She is also my godmother. I consider myself fortunate in this regard because I was born into the Catholic faith, and while my father was one of the churchgoing faithful throughout my childhood, my mother could only grudgingly bring herself to go along with a Catholic upbringing [...]
I adore Mozart’s The Magic Flute. Tamino seeks enlightenment; He walks the narrow path. His road inclines steeply; His burden weighs heavy; His wonted mode of thought No longer suits; He turns away from the night. The light embraces him; he it. And as he unites with Pamina, They bravely emerge from their trials, Ennobled [...]
Nearly a century ago We began our flight From the page to the air, The print yielding to waves That brought us voices and music And later moving images On a glass tube in the parlor. We could buy plastic discs as well And spin melodies out of them. Then the discs became A long [...]
Three times this date has comeTo notch the turning yearAnd signal then the startOf one more without you.Keep bright the living skyBe still the ray that shines.And linger in the nightTo whisper in our dreams.Though you no more graceThe humble human form,Nor ornament the airWith the music of your voice…No day begins nor endsNo vibrant [...]
Perhaps my greatest aversion– Fluttering of hearts…ah, for chrissake! Idiotic pet names, sentimental associations With chance occurrences, Constructing meaning out of chaos. Receiving wisdom and putative significance On the force of verdant eyes Or a fluid voice Or the bodily contours That random evolution Has unfairly favored Over the survival of the mammoth. A locking [...]
The lessons we forget teach us the best, As learning them anew, we learn the more. With pride distressed, a humble heart’s twice blessed With grace regained, though cast away before. The happy masses walk a wide, clear way Straight-stepping at an automatic pace, While hapless seekers to the fringes stray And tripped by tempting [...]
Nowadays, most adults seem to shave. Women shave a larger surface area than men, and they usually do this in the shower. Men have traditionally kept their shaving to their faces, standing at the sink in front of a mirror. Of course, recent fashion has made things more elaborate for some members of the hairier [...]
My back hurts more from weighty vanity Than from the burdens livelihood requires. My soul aches more from my humanity Than from ill answer to my base desires. With fifty circles run in matter’s realm, And dozens yet to come if fortune grants, I see a new tide harshly overwhelm The shore of egotism’s vast [...]
Real Teaching 