Happy Birthday, Ma!

There is a nice lady named Fran,

Who took a shine to my old man.

If she hadn't, I fear

I wouldn't be here-

Just one reason I'm a huge fan!

 

The Paradoxical Commandments

Blog hopping yesterday, I came across a reference to this list written by Kent Keith  in 1968, when he was 19, as part of his first booklet for high school student leaders. I like them, so I am sharing.

1. People are illogical, unreasonable, and self-centered. Love them anyway. 
2. If you do good, people will accuse you of selfish ulterior motives. Do good anyway.
3. If you are successful, you win false friends and true enemies. Succeed anyway.
4. The good you do today will be forgotten tomorrow. Do good anyway.
5. Honesty and frankness make you vulnerable. Be honest and frank anyway.
6. The biggest men with the biggest ideas can be shot down by the smallest men with the smallest minds. Think big anyway.
7. People favor underdogs, but follow only top dogs. Fight for a few underdogs anyway.
8. What you spend years building may be destroyed overnight. Build anyway.
9. People really need help but may attack you if you do help them. Help people anyway.
10. Give the world the best you have and you'll get kicked in the teeth. Give the world the best you have anyway.

What's Your Stanza?

Poetry. Be ye for it or agin it?

Poetry was the subject of discussion in our house this morning and I have no idea how it started. Generally speaking, I don't enjoy reading poetry. Well, I mostly don't like reading the kind of poetry that doesn't rhyme. I do like Shakespeare, Robert Frost and Dr. Seuss, for example.

I read for content and story, more than intellectual ideas and feelings, maybe that's it? Hm, that sounded shallow, didn't it? I mean that I enjoy the story and like to get the message sort of subliminally, not get hit over the head with it. My first reaction to a poem is "here's a hammer, waiting to fall". I kind of look at 'free form' poetry as speed bumps on the road to a conclusion. Which may be just what is intended.

Ameranth has several good friends who write poetry and one told her that there are indeed rules and that she enjoys fitting her ideas inside those parameters. I don't know what the rules are though. Maybe if I did, I would appreciate poems more.

I wonder what makes certain people Poets? Of the non-rhyming type, that is. I daily make up songs and rhymes as I feed the dogs, do the laundry etc. I often wrote  poems parodying seasonal songs for my coworkers' amusement, but I dismiss what I do as doggerel. Shoeshine writes Poetry, and J did too, when he 'wore a younger man's clothes'.

It is just an individual taste, as in music. I like clear words and rhymes in my music as well. I like Billy Joel because his songs tell a story and he has such clever rhymes. I know many people denigrate his work for just those qualities. Why should I feel apologetic because I like pop music and fantasy novels over heavy metal and free verse? The answer is I shouldn't and I really don't.

There is no real point to this post, just random thoughts, like the name says.

                                Hey, maybe I
             should have written
                                            it like this.
                                      And I could have it both ways.
                                        *Shrug*

Quick, before I forget this

Ameranth stomped by from her computer, declaring "I am going to get dressed because I am angry at something on the Internet!"

Me:" Oh, it's going to be a good day"

A: "Yes, yes it is!"

Me: "I was being sarcastic, but if you want we can go that way- Yes, it will be good"

A few minutes later, after explaining what ticked her off:
"Oh, the world is so not my oyster"

Me: "Instead of a pearl, you have grains of sand?"

A: "Stinky, stinky fish-smelling grains of sand"

Another few minutes later I hear singing: "Look at me, I'm Sandra Dee"  so I guess the day is looking up.