Monthly Archives: November, 2013

Genius By Mark Twain

Mark Twain

Mark Twain

 

Genius by Mark Twain

Genius, like gold and precious stones,
is chiefly prized because of its rarity.

Geniuses are people who dash of weird, wild,
incomprehensible poems with astonishing facility,
and get booming drunk and sleep in the gutter.

Genius elevates its possessor to ineffable spheres
far above the vulgar world and fills his soul
with regal contempt for the gross and sordid things of earth.

It is probably on account of this
that people who have genius
do not pay their board, as a general thing.

Geniuses are very singular.

If you see a young man who has frowsy hair
and distraught look, and affects eccentricity in dress,
you may set him down for a genius.

If he sings about the degeneracy of a world
which courts vulgar opulence
and neglects brains,
he is undoubtedly a genius.

If he is too proud to accept assistance,
and spurns it with a lordly air
at the very same time
that he knows he can’t make a living to save his life,
he is most certainly a genius.

If he hangs on and sticks to poetry,
notwithstanding sawing wood comes handier to him,
he is a true genius.

If he throws away every opportunity in life
and crushes the affection and the patience of his friends
and then protests in sickly rhymes of his hard lot,
and finally persists,
in spite of the sound advice of persons who have got sense
but not any genius,
persists in going up some infamous back alley
dying in rags and dirt,
he is beyond all question a genius.

But above all things,
to deftly throw the incoherent ravings of insanity into verse
and then rush off and get booming drunk,
is the surest of all the different signs
of genius.

Mark Twain
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Perhaps one of my favorite story tellers of all times, I just had to mention it was Mark Twain’s birthday today. Great man, great storyteller and one hell of a comedian. In his honor, I’ve posted his poem above and I hope you’ve all enjoyed it.

You (Free Write Friday Image Prompt)

You

You

You
were just too
bright
for them to
see
imaginary,my foot,
we
sang songs to the moon
we
fought the shadows and
soon
you had to go to another’s
aid
beacuse I was stonger now
and
there were more you
had
to save.

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So sometimes I just see a prompt I can’t pass up, and this was just one of them. Got me thinking about imaginary friends and, well, this is what I just wrote without editing. I urge you to check out Free Write Fridays and see if you can find anything to catch your pen. Might work on this poem a little later but, now now, it was fun just to write it out.

 

After

Thanks For The Reminder

After

Thanks get given and
ceremonial dressage is
taken down
good words are silenced
shared meals eaten and
packed up
values are placed back on
shelves of the soul that
gather dust.

_____________________________

You know its true, which makes if funny. The  best things often are 😉

Well, you’ve made it to Friday, folks. Congratulations on lasting out another week, even if it was a short one for those turkey lovers out there!

Now, if you weren’t here reading yesterday, I’m including a link here to aid in the tornado recovery that struck my home town a week ago. EF-4 left some friends and family with nothing but a pile of splintered wood and a whole lot of trouble, and I’d be mighty grateful if you clicked the link and pushed a little love their way.  http://heroesmemorial.org/content/information-guide-washington-il .

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Well, here’s to hoping your day flies by and that you’ve got something strong and on the rocks waiting for you when you get home at night. Continue reading →

Thanks

Proper Way To Cook A Turkey

Proper Way To Cook A Turkey

Usually don’t post on Thursday, but I just wanted to take the time and let ya’ll know that I am grateful for each and every one of you who swings by to take a gander at what I’ve got. Keeps me going and keeps me writing especially during this rather long spell of life kicking dirt at me when I’m down. Seriously, all the comments and clicks mean a heck of a lot, and I’m eternally greatful for each and every one of um.

Now, if you don’t excuse me, I’ll abandon the sappyness and take my leave to stuff myself fuller than a  hog in a pantry.

Medium Well

steak on plate

Medium Well

I’m not done yet
but outsides gotten
a bit tough,
been through the wringer
and seered just enough
to develop thick skin
firm enough to chew
starting to grey that
heart and dim my
vivid hue.

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Well, you’ve made it to Wednesday, folks. Halfway there and, hopefully, a good lot of you are looking forwards to some time off. It’s much needed, I imagine and I can tell you I am glad to have it.

Either way, I hope you enjoy the poem above. There are times when not even I can figure out why I’ve written a poem a certian way. And why the hell I decided to use a steak metaphor for myself and how I’ve been feeling lately, I’ll never know. Either way, if you’re feeling a little like me, like you’ve been in the fire a little too long and you’re starting to get over done, I hope you find some time to cool off and keep going on.

Now, if you weren’t here reading yesterday, I’m including a link here to aid in the tornado recovery that struck my home town a week ago. EF-4 left some friends and family with nothing but a pile of splintered wood and a whole lot of trouble, and I’d be mighty grateful if you clicked the link and pushed a little love their way.  http://heroesmemorial.org/content/information-guide-washington-il .

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Well, here’s to hoping your day flies by and that you’ve got something strong and on the rocks waiting for you when you get home at night.

Aquila Non Est Capit Muscas

Eagle statue

Aquila non est capit muscas.

I watch eagles
catch their flies and
stray into the sun,
crash and burn,
they’ll never learn,
some battles are
just not worth
the price of
being won.

________________________

Hey there, folks. Got a little poem up there for ya, the title of which is adapted a little from the latin quote ‘aquila non capit muscas’ which means that eagles don’t catch flies. It’s a way of saying that grand people shouldn’t fret over the little things, and I think it’s a might fine way of sayin’ it. Adding in the word ‘est’ makes it say that eagles shouldn’t catch flies but, as the poem implies, we know they still do. All too many times either you or someone you know is guilty of finding something to hold onto that is just meaningless. That little poem above is a reminder that sometimes you just need to let go before the weight of it drags you down to its level.

Now, if you weren’t here reading yesterday, I’m including a link here to aid in the tornado recovery that struck my home town a week ago. EF-4 left some friends and family with nothing but a pile of splintered wood and a whole lot of trouble, and I’d be mighty grateful if you clicked the link and pushed a little love their way.  http://heroesmemorial.org/content/information-guide-washington-il .

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Well, here’s to hoping your day flies by and that you’ve got something strong and on the rocks waiting for you when you get home at night.

Words For The Weary

man walking through tunnel

Words For The Weary

We can do this.

Sling our anchors
onto dreams and
pull through a
nother week filled
with the nuisance
of just being alive
and fulfilling such
lavish luxuries as
taxes and wanting to
eat while we think
the world is just
passing us by.

But we can have it.

We’ll get our cake
and eat it all while
laughing because we’re
tired and worn but never
bested and, my friends,
we’ll rest but only
when our drive is
burnt out, our fingers
ground to bone and
we’re satisfied with
where we’ve ended up
in our life and we’ve
got the time to watch
that sun fall and rise
whenever we

goddamned

please.

_____________________________________________________________

Oh, it’s the start of another week folks, and hopefully I can add a little reminder that (if you’re not exactly thrilled about that) you’ll get through it all. I know I need the little boost to believe that there’s more waiting for me than mornings with rum and coffee.

So, you might or might not have noticed that my posts have been a little scant lately. Reason for that was we had a nasty little twister come on through this area about a week back and that EF-4 did a little number on this town. Been a little hectic around here helping out friends and family while taking care of the house. That being said, if any of you are feeling generous, here’s a link to help out with the town’s recovery http://heroesmemorial.org/content/information-guide-washington-il .

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Here’s to hoping that you’ve got a handle on this week, and that today flies on by and you find yourself relaxing at home in no time.

Opinions

Opinions

Opinions

Shrink: I think you’re an alcoholic.

Patient: And I think you’re a lousy square who is severely biased against awesomeness, but let’s keep our funny little opinions to ourselves, shall we?

______________________________________

In the lack of poems, I’ve got quips. Lots of funny little few liners that someone might get to chuckle at while I’m still scrounging for time.  This one I found particularly funny just cause, you know, one man’s aliment is another’s enjoyment! Hope this funny little thing helps you get through your workday a little better.

 

Also a quick note: 2700! The number is crazy high, if you ask me. About three hundred more people decide to give a little quick, and I’ve got another awesome dedication poem to do and might just think of throwing a Facebook page up for good measure. Case any of you real nutjobs wanna see what I find funny, or get a glimpse at some of my scraps that I’m working to turn into poems!

Champion of the Work Week

Champion of the Week

Champion of the Work Week

And lo there came a savior-

A champion to the weak.

A hero to the weary.

And this savior would come to be known

by the noble name of ‘caffeine’,

and many would seek its council.

________________________

Okay, I admit it; that’s not a poem but, you know, sometime I have these little quips that are enjoyable. This being one, I thought I’d share it in the early morn for those of you who, like me, need that little boost. However you need it, in a Redbull, taking a pill, or chugging down a few cups of good ol’ fashioned brew, you know how true this one is. Don’t you?

Monday Already?

wrist watch on man's arm

Monday Again

Where have the hours gone and
when did they go?
I was sitting in good company
sipping on better and
next thing I know,
that damned alarm clock
sets to leering,
jeering at the circles
set under to hold
open my eyes and tsking
with tics that I’ve got
to do something to somehow
make a life
whether I like it
or not.

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I know, I know- It’s Monday again. Let me be the first to apologize for that little inconvenience.  Still, we’ll just have to do the best we can, I suppose and drag ourselves along. To help out with that, up there was a little something to let you know that your not alone. Hell, I didn’t finish with this post till nearly one thirty in the morning, so my whole demeanor isn’t bound to be too far off.

So, if you feel me, raise  a cup of coffee in my honor and we’ll caffeinate our way together through another tedious, drawn out, no good, rotten Monday.