Threnody

Seeds,
like unborn children
lay unplanted
in their colorful envelopes
waiting for another spring
when they may find rich earth
and soft rain to make them grow.
Birds sit with heads cocked,
staring at empty feeders
while butterflies flit away
in search of sweeter fields.

There... where the life-giving sun
sends it's brightest rays
rests a newly planted lilac tree -
a living epitaph for a life lost
out of season.


Tea has gone cold.
Shaky hands barely hanging on
to the chipped teacup,
the gardener looks out the window
and quietly, weeps.
Summer has passed the garden by.

His Eyes Look Away

He hesitates over his words
as if convinced his fears will escape
and show the world
how scared he is of dying.
Summer days are all he has left.
He knows
his weakened heart will not last
the coming winter and so he saves
his energy for the hours when visitors come
gaily through the door
bringing baskets of flowers
and balloons that fly to the ceiling -
caught between places
like the escaped dreams
he must learn, finally
to let go.

CUANDO

When was the last time
you thought of wooing me,
beguiling me
with tenderness
seeking me with half-lidded eyes?

When was the last time
you held me close
inhaling,
breathing my essence -
wet rain, patchouli and green tea?

When was the last time
your fingers trailed down

down

my neck

feeling my pulse
throbbing,
racing

When was the last time your wet lips
kissed me,
there...

and yes... there.

touching me!

touching me.

Raining today

This Duck is staying in.

Play On Words

Here's a listing of some recently-published "new books & their authors"....

- "How to Write Large Books" by Warren Peace
- "The Lion Attacked" by Claude Yarmoff
- "The Art of Archery" by Beau N. Arrow
- "Irish Heart Surgery" by Angie O'Plasty
- "Desert Crossing" by I. Rhoda Camel
- "School Truancy" by Marcus Absent
- "I Was a Cloakroom Attendant" by Mahatma Coate
- "I Lost My Balance" by Eileen Dover and Phil Down
- "Mystery in the Barnyard" by Hu Flung Dung
- "Positive Reinforcement" by Wade Ago
- "Shhh!" by Danielle Soloud
- "The Philippine Post Office" by Imelda Letter
- "Things to Do at a Party" by Bob Frapples
- "Stop Arguing" by Xavier Breath
- "Raising Mosquitos" by I. Itch
- "Mountain Climbing" by Hugo First

Naptime

Today is Public Sleeping Day


Nasa researchers say company bosses should allow their workers to fall asleep at their desks.

Studies have shown that performance increases by 35% if employees take a 45-minute "power nap" in the afternoon.

Scientists says the Mediterranean-style siesta should be adopted by any business looking to increase its productivity. The nap even improves the ability to judge business decisions correctly by 50%, it's claimed.

Nasa carried out the research to find out how best to make use of astronauts' time in space. But they also found the same was true for office workers with less glamorous or demanding jobs.

Mark Rosekind, of California-based Alertness Solutions, told The Times: "It is a false myth that if you spend more hours awake you are more productive."

Pale Male & Lola

New York's Celebrity Bird Couple Is Spotted Mating
Thu Feb 17, 2005 01:11 PM ET

NEW YORK (Reuters) - New Yorkers were all atwitter on Thursday over the highly public canoodling of one of their most high-flying celebrity couples -- Pale Male and Lola.

The pair of red-tailed hawks have been spotted flagrantly mating all around the neighborhood of the ritzy Fifth Avenue apartment building where they were evicted, then restored to a brand new, architect-designed love nest last December.

"It's hard to miss them now. They're seriously trying to propagate," bird-watcher Marie Winn told Reuters.

The mating was front-page news for the tabloid New York Post, but Winn said that, hormones being what they are, the mating was never in doubt. The only question, she said, was whether the hawks would take to their old nesting site, which was rebuilt in stainless steel and protected by spikes.

"They didn't reject the nest site and they were faithful to it," Winn reported.

A media frenzy erupted over the birds' eviction by wealthy residents angry over the droppings and half-eaten pigeons littering the elegant building's entrance.

The residents' most visible figure was actress Mary Tyler Moore, while photographer/bird-watcher Lincoln Karim led the protests.

© Reuters 2005. All Rights Reserved.

The Day After

These are entries to a competition asking for a rhyme
with the most romantic first line but least romantic second line:


I thought that I could love no other
Until, that is, I met your brother.

Roses are red, violets are blue, sugar is sweet, and so are you.
But the roses are wilting, the violets are dead, the sugar bowl's empty and so is your head.

Of loving beauty you float with grace
If only you could hide your face.

Kind, intelligent, loving and hot
This describes everything you are not

I want to feel your sweet embrace
But don't take that paper bag off of your face

I love your smile, your face, and your eyes-
Dang, I'm good at telling lies!

My darling, my lover, my beautiful wife:
Marrying you screwed up my life

I see your face when I am dreaming
That's why I always wake up screaming

My love you take my breath away
What have you stepped in to smell this way

What inspired this amorous rhyme?
Two parts vodka, one part lime