All Our Todays

If I Told You.....

2005-05-15T11:04:00.000-07:00

If I told you
About the way
I look at things
You would doubtless
Think me foolish
And offer to help
Me get back 'on track' -
By saying "Embrace 'Pragmatism',
And its cousin 'Realism'".
You might even
Urge me to "get with the programme"
-As if I am some
Errant child,
Strayed from the line.

But I will tell you
What is in my mind,
If you will
Put down that flag,
Unholster that gun,

Take time to listen.......

(c)lokutus-prime 2005

A brighter shade of Grey (On reading a blogger's deeply melancholic journal).

2004-10-22T07:25:00.000-07:00

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A brighter shade of Grey
____________________________________________________________

I looked for grey
Because my eyes
Were closed to Colour
And all other things that
Might have pulled
Me from my introspective gloom.

I looked for Sorrow
Eager to say 'Welcome brother
Take my life. Today
I need to sink, drown,
Be absolutely
Swallowed up by Misery'.

It worked,
But there were many reasons
Why I did not drown,

Call it Fate,
If that provides a key,
But I prefer to think
I wised up to Life
And adapted to reality.

Bravo! (On reading a journal where the blogger expressed his disillusionment with the current (US) administration & with politics & politicians).

2004-10-22T07:16:00.000-07:00

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Bravo!

Well said my friend
And now you know
How politicians
Are the actual foe.

We voters
Are the sheep
Who say
"Come back again"
On Polling Day

But when we age
From lamb to mutton
We grow a rage
Not easily smitten

By 'weasel words'
From Bush & Co.
For, as implied,
He and his ilk
Are the actual foe!

The Longest Step....(adapted from my posting, at another site, re. journal "Annie's Weight Loss Problem")

2004-10-22T06:55:00.000-07:00

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A wise man set out to see if he could visit all the villages in his country during his life time. One day late in the evening,after a very weary journey across the mountains, he came to a small village. He started to unpack his bedding (for it was his custom to rest in the open at night under the stars) when he heard a voice greeting him. Looking up he was confronted by a man who introduced himself as one of the village elders. 'You are welcome to rest in our home', said the elder,'It may rain this evening and you are welcome to shelter with us'. The wise man smiled but decided to accept the hospitality.

At supper time he sat with the elder's family. From the way they acted it was obvious that this was a loving and friendly community. It was the wise man's practice to say little but listen much. He heard the elder's granddaughter sighing and muttering to her husband 'I wish I could do it - but it's impossible.' When her husband got up to take their child to sleep the wise man moved closer to the woman. He smiled and looked into her eyes. 'Whatever is troubling you', he said, 'remember this, there is a remedy, a solution to all things but it always comes down to choice. Even the longest journey starts with but a single step'. The woman looked at him for a moment, then said 'I suppose I have known this all along but could not admit it, now I will try'. The wise man thanked his hosts the next morning and departed the village. He had mentioned where he thought he would arrive at in six months time; it was a small community in the far north.

The wise man had many adventures (which we may hear of another time) and eventually arrived at the northern village some six month's later. This time he did sleep under the stars. The following morning he was approached by a man who said he was from the village Inn. 'Your arrival has been foretold to me by this letter in my hand', the Inn keeper said. 'It describes you and so I give it to you now'.

The wise man was not easily surprised (having seen much in his long life) and raised an eyebrow. The letter began...'Most kind and generous sir, I followed your advice but it was such an arduous, almost painful, task to do what I wanted to do. But, now, after many months my heart is joyful. I feel I am on the way, I believe I can do this thing. That first step was the hardest, over many weeks. Tomorrow I will take the second'...

The wise man smiled again.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

If Only (On reading " Continued Musings On War" from a journal, by J .Mathiesen, at another site).

2004-10-22T06:47:00.000-07:00

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If only you are typical
Of the voters in your land
And your 'voice' is the majority
That makes a solid stand
Against these 'gasoleros'
And their very devious band
Then maybe all the power
Which your Nation wants to wield
Will start to do some good at last
In each and every field....

If All You Loved (comment, upon reading a lament in someone's blog).

2004-10-22T06:30:00.000-07:00

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If all you loved
Is, seemingly, undone
And heart's bright hopes
Are ash beneath a dying sun
You will arise and take
The sullen day
And find the strength
To mould it in a way
Which brings, again,
A new beginning,
Freed from pain.
If you do this,
Despite the frightening odds
Which say your luck is bad,
And raise triumphant fingers
To a jeering crowd
Your life begins a different day
Free from the agony
Where once it lay.....

There Is A Paradox (On reading an argument not in favour of the motor car).

2004-10-21T04:30:00.000-07:00

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There is a paradox,
In all our argument,
About combustion engines
and their mal content.
We say (the world and I)
That gasoline pollutes
And burns our sky.
But when we want to
Go from Here to There
It seems the price
Of Public Transport
Is our 'scare'.
I have not seen, as generality,
Governments or Global Corps
Providing a utility
That serves the populace
E-n-v-i-r-o-n-m-e-n-t-a-l-l-y.

Until that happens
I will use my ageing car
And hope some Boffin (with a clouded jar)
Is working on a scheme, so inexpensive to apply
That even politicians cast their eye
Upon it and, with wisdom rare,
Accept the answer to the travellers' prayer.

If You Have Studied (On reading a 'religious rant' on 'reasons' for world's 'problems'. The writer said 4 billion should perish to 'wipe the slate').

2004-10-21T04:19:00.000-07:00

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If you have studied History
There really is no mystery
About the way that Humans act.
They are not perfect, evidence shows,
And they evolved (as Darwin knows),
From primate ape to Modern Man.
It is a puzzle that you can
Write of 'evil' in a way
That takes one back to a darker day
Which, if you had studied history,
Would show you that the misery,
You forecast now, was widespread then
In times when religion/state ruled men
And women with a crushing hand
To spread "God's Will" throughout the land.
There never was a 'Paradise'
And, had you researched, I surmise
You would have have found, to your surprise,
That all the 'evil' you mention now
Was happening then because (somehow)
It had evolved in primate men.
Before you hyperventilate
On Mankind's woes and parlous state
Stand back and look at History,
There really is no mystery.

Another Day In Paradise? (My reaction on reading a blog entitled "Another Day In Paradise")

2004-10-21T04:14:00.000-07:00

It always seemed
The USA
Was set on
Staying 'far away'.
It never went
Beyond its door.
Until the Cuban-American War

______(write that down
______Upon your slate,
______It happened in 1898).

This pleased the
Military, one by one,
Senators, too,
Enjoyed 'the fun'.
Muscles flexed
The White House saw
It had to enter
The "Great War".
But circumstances
In between
Delayed Uncle Sam
Til Year '17.
And all the time,
Surprise, surprise,
Its folk enjoyed
Their Paradise.

Don't get me wrong,
I have to say
That "Isolation"
Won the day.
And who could
Blame The USA?

Those Europeans
And their Pacts
Were taylor-made
For certain acts.
By Greedy men
Who built their power
From egotism, hour by hour.

Came World War Two
And there, The Test,
-Would Paradise
Help out the rest?
Of course they did -
That's History.

But it's something
Of a 'mystery'
Why Paradise
Could never see
That Thoughts & Actions
Should be free,
In every mature democracy.
And the Senate of the day
Created terror in the way
It hounded citizens,
Gave them grief;
It handled democracy
Like a thief.

You think I'm kidding?
Listen to me,
Read up on Senator J. McC.!

Ok, you're bored,
But don't go yet,
-Just hang in there
Because I'll bet
That all who live
In Paradise
Never use
Their ears or eyes
To learn why
Those they helped, in WW2,
Keep criticising,
Through and through.

(I'm nearly finished
Bet you're glad),
- I hope I haven't
Made you mad)

It's because
They think
That all of you care
Only for Paradise
And those
Living there.......

The Light Dawns (my response to a blog, elsewhere, in which the blogger realises she has been misled).

2004-10-21T04:06:00.000-07:00

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In verse I write
My 'reactions' here and there
Looking for 'enlightment' where
Some citizen from the USA
Might rub his/her eyes
And start to say
"Have I been sleeping
Through some 'High School Play'
Whose script was written
In a manic way?
Have I been dreaming
That in The White House there
A President lied to me,
Addressing The Nation
From his swivel chair?"

You are that person,
Or someone who's seen
Your Head of State
Construct his horrid dream
(But tell you first
It's what The Country needs
Then dress it all up
As Bold and Democratic Deeds).

"You will adapt." (God's thoughts, after reading Darwin)

2004-10-21T03:50:00.000-07:00

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Some say a 'Superior entity'
Designed a system of entropy
With sentient life at the border
To encourage the rate of disorder.

Others are of the view that
Humanity emerged after
The system overloaded
And universally exploded.

Some even dare to say that
Everything is in decay
And will be consumed, eventually.
But no one knows if this will be
A random process or something
That happens sequentially.

Although we should make the best
Of our brief lives the real test
Is not always by Revolution
But, inevitably, through Evolution.

What we do along the way
Will determine whether
We go or stay.

On The Subject Of Nostrils

2004-10-21T03:42:00.000-07:00

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Dear Emily, I have to say
That you could always look away
When other noses spoil your day.
It is unpleasant, I agree,
I saw one once - it spoiled my tea!
So I can sympathise you see.
It happened right near Covent Garden,
The owner did Not beg my pardon
For bringing it so near my table
(Frightening me and my dog, Mable).
Yes, nostrils are unpleasant things,
When they are crusted out with 'wings'
I usually, when faced with such,
Imagine I'm inside a hutch
(I have a rabbit-complex see),
Along with fluffy bunny things
Who don't possess those 'nostril-rings'.
O Emily it's good to know
That We won't let this 'nose-thing' go,
That you and I, so bravely, shout
About our 'Shame' (I'm glad I'm out)

On The Subject Of Shame:
________________________
Shame in doing something 'wrong'
Is Ego's way of keeping strong
Our ability to survive the shame,
Reminding us that if repeat the same
Act again then we are shameless,
And that's an even bigger shame.

On Emily's Transposition of Shame itself:
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If you feel shame at what you see,
Regarding dirty nostrils (not dirt-free)
You may be feeling such embarrassment
Because, quite reasonably, you resent
Unhygienic things when they present
Their presence near, or in, your 'space'
Or right up-front -on someone's face.
There's nothing wrong in feeling so
But you should rationalize and know
That people have some dirty ways
And don't respond to threats or praise
Or Emilys who 'wash their hands'
And swoon at others' dirty 'glands'

Inspired by a blog (elsewhere) which endorsed a book entitled "The Science Of Getting Rich"

2004-10-21T03:32:00.000-07:00

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`'Tis the voice of the Jubjub!'
Lewis Carrol once said
In a poem, regarding The Snark,
That was allegorical (straight out of his head)
And not merely said for a lark.

If one's not hunting a Snark,
But a way to get rich,
Through a 'miracle' book of some sort
Or a method of 'snake oil'
Which, due to an 'itch',
Makes one totally forget what was taught -
By dad, mom or wise gran,
Who knew about life and its 'catch-ya-out-plan'
When they said "Son, listen, 'cuz here's the real Biz.,
If it seems like a plan that's to good to be true,
then it very probably is!"

Now despite all this verse I'm not risk-averse,
But you have to proceed with some care,
There's only so much - some win and some lose -
Remember, before you go there,
The old 'Chain-Letter' post was based on a boast
"That everyone benefits" (Most became toast).

Out Of Southern Iraq (An officer's tale)....Part 2.

2004-10-21T03:15:00.000-07:00

Out Of Southern Iraq (An officer's tale)....Part 2.
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My lads will go wherever they're told
They are professionals - not volunteers of old,
And I can tell you they are champing at the bit
To help our brave American allies make a hit
On those who argue our democracy won't fit.
Look - yesterday I told them all
'Our fighting units may be small,
Compared to Uncle Sam, but we'll give all
To get them out of this jam'
My soldiers looked at me and I could see why
They are the finest in the world -
Not one would blink his eye
At the thought that he might die out here.
By God, it's good I didn't see a single tear!

Out of Southern Iraq (A soldier's tale)....Part 1.

2004-10-21T03:12:00.000-07:00

Out Of Southern Iraq (A soldier's tale)....Part 1.
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"'ere Corp. - 'ave you heard wot the Captain said?
They're sending you an me an Fred
And all our mates to fight up Norf
To 'elp the Yanks get aht of bed!"
Sid looked at me, as he cleaned his gun
And I looked away for I knew we'd done
Our bit down here and it wasn't fun.
But what could I say to my soldier ,Sid,
To calm his nerves and keep well hid
My shaking hand as I lit me cig?
By 'ell it's been bad for the lads of late,
With the stress and the strain and the terrible state
Of things out here where there's death on a plate.
So I rolled on my rizla and mumbled something
'bout a job we must do for Country and Queen,
But I heard young Sid cursing the whole bloody scene.

All Our Yesterdays

2004-10-21T03:03:00.000-07:00

All Our Yesterdays: Part 2. Mighty Powers versus History.
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It has been said that those who do not learn from History are doomed to repeat it. So it was with Vietnam. France was defeated (some suggest undermined - no pun intended - by a major 'friendly' power).

The USA, after an even longer conflict, was eventually forced to withdraw. The steady drip, drip, drip, of actions and consequences, decisions and tactics fills the bucket of History which is of course a bottomless container.

Now Iraq is not Vietnam, but already there are some parallells emerging despite the costly and unforgettable experience of the former "What, How, Why?" trauma" (look at the many Vietnam vets associations, the countless websites, the first-hand stories, poems and songs, et al and the point is well made).

Returning to my opening remarks, one may ask why it is that some nations (including the USA, as the present crisis and all its recorded travail is pouring into that bucket I mentioned earlier) do not learn from past lessons?

There may be a connection here, which allows us to arrive at a partial answer, and it is I suggest, this;
A Mighty Power has little to fear from the lessons of History. It may be bruised by what it does from time to time but, more often than not, only bruised in the diplomatic sense. It may be traumatised by what it does from time to time (see Vietnam) but if its Power is undiminished, in the real sense of that word, then the actual victims - including its own foot soldiers - remain traumatised but, eventually, a new generation arises and the lessons of History are ignored (or never looked at).

A defeated Power (in that sense I mean a nation almost destroyed and/or 'brought to its knees'), such as Germany & Japan at the end of WW2 - seems to learn from its experience and subsequently behave in a way which is in complete contrast to its former history. At least this appears to have been the result, post the 1939-1945 conflict.

All Mighty Powers endure for a period.
The evidence of both past and contemporary History suggests that arrogance, ignorance but - more significantly - indifference to the opinions and ideas of others (Nations) - convinces the Mighty Power it has nothing to fear, except ironically, the voting pattern of its own electorate, if that process occurs at the 'wrong' moment.

So it is important, to whichever Administration is in Office, that nothing 'negative' should ever get in the way. Timing is significant, ask any politician. The present events in Iraq are floating at the top of that metaphorical 'bucket'.

One perceives that the reaction of the Great Power and its supporter (let's call it the Little Power) is merely political. If that is true then so much the pity - and the shame.

I am reminded of a lyric in a song, from some thirty-five years ago, #When will they ever learn?#

Not Waving - Just Firing

2004-10-21T02:45:00.000-07:00

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"Reports that say something hasn't happened are always interesting to me, because as we know, there are known knowns; there are things we know we know. We also know there are known unknowns; that is to say we know there are some things we do not know. But there are also unknown unknowns -- the ones we don't know we don't know. "

U.S Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld

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We bombed those 'Sadaam servers'
Because they threatened us
With their posturing and WMDs
And all that sort of stuff.
But we had to have a "legal way"
to back our 'Huff & Puff'
So we used our usual 'influence'
And the UN said "Get tough?"
We thought someone might mention
That an ally had ignored
Many, many Resolutions
But no one did (so we scored!).

(We didn't bomb the Saudis
Or attack the bad old Prince
We're not completely stupid
For we'd find it hard to convince
Our petroleum guzzling consumers
Who would cry "Why that's obscene!"
If we told them Saudi Arabia
Wouldn't sell us gasoline.)

We knew that other countries
Had rulers just as bad
And we wished we
Could have bombed them too
(it made us rather sad)
But how could we bomb China?,
It's so very far away,
And they have lots of nuclear weapons
That always seem to stay
But even if they 'lost' them -
Somewhere we couldn't see -
We'd have to tell ourselves that THEY
Don't have a WMD (nor do we).

(Forget the arms we sold Sadaam
Forget he was our 'boy',
Back in the early eighties,
That was just our little 'ploy')

When we have finished tidying up
This arid, sandy, place
And helped to place in power
'Good' folk who like our face,
We'll justify our actions
And forget the long disgrace.