Gift
by Brooks Haxton
.....
All our righteousnesses are as filthy rags;
and we all do fade as a leaf. Isaiah 64:6
After my mother's father died,
she gave me his morocco Bible.
I took it from her hand, and saw
the gold was worn away, the binding
scuffed and ragged, split below the spine,
and inside, smudges where her father's
right hand gripped the bottom corner
page by page, an old man waiting, not quite
reading the words he had known by heart
for sixty years: our parents in the garden,
naked, free from shame; the bitterness of labor;
blood in the ground, still calling for God's
curse. His thumbprints faded after the flood,
to darken again where God bids Moses smite
the rock, and then again in Psalms, in Matthew
every page. And where Paul speaks of things
God hath prepared, things promised them who wait,
things not yet entered into the loving heart,
below the margin of the verse, the paper
is translucent with the oil and dark
still with the dirt of his right hand.
July 26, 2005
July 19, 2005
It's not just ME, Fa-So-La-La...
My dear girl, thou who wearest flip-floppeths from February through November and hath even been spotted wearing them ONCE in church...(how did you make it to the car without the Queen noticing?)... please go post-haste to read this.
July 18, 2005
Perfect is good.
Ten Random Reasons Why I'm Happy Today
1. Because the carpets were professionally steam cleaned this morning. Because for approximately the next 24 hours, it will not look like the circus just passed through, elephants, chimps and all.
2. Because of The Turnip of Doom. (And other hilarious, utterly ridiculous stories like it which Spuddy Buddy makes up for my amusement in the car.)
3. Because when Shieldmaiden finishes fiddling, Fa-So-La-La practices piano, and when neither is doing either they are so often singing. Because I always hoped for children who sang and made music and now I have them and it makes my heart feel bubbly.
4. Because the stock I asked for (and got!) for Christmas has split and doubled. Which means that at the moment I am beating Great Scot in our nasty stock competition. ;-)
5. Because I had a Mico platter with lots of fresh salsa and hot jalapenos yesterday, which always sets my world back on its axis again. (Best Tex-Mex platter on the planet. Come see me and I'll treat.)
6. Because my best friend, who has been bearing a heavy burden, says she is feeling my prayers. Because prayers are truly heard.
7. Because my young friend with cancer is feeling stronger and her tumors have shrunk. Because I found her a really cute pair of earrings yesterday that will make her smile and make her little balding head look girlier. Because the US Mail will take them halfway across the country to her for about a buck. Isn't life great?
8. Because my cute boyfriend (the one I married) took me on a date this weekend and because we still have more to talk about after two decades than we have hours to talk. And because he still looks at me that way.
9. Because my children have such fine, Godly, funny, caring, wonderful, interesting, encouraging friends that I can only conclude that the Lord chose them for us.
10. Because I can't even begin to count my blessings.
1. Because the carpets were professionally steam cleaned this morning. Because for approximately the next 24 hours, it will not look like the circus just passed through, elephants, chimps and all.
2. Because of The Turnip of Doom. (And other hilarious, utterly ridiculous stories like it which Spuddy Buddy makes up for my amusement in the car.)
3. Because when Shieldmaiden finishes fiddling, Fa-So-La-La practices piano, and when neither is doing either they are so often singing. Because I always hoped for children who sang and made music and now I have them and it makes my heart feel bubbly.
4. Because the stock I asked for (and got!) for Christmas has split and doubled. Which means that at the moment I am beating Great Scot in our nasty stock competition. ;-)
5. Because I had a Mico platter with lots of fresh salsa and hot jalapenos yesterday, which always sets my world back on its axis again. (Best Tex-Mex platter on the planet. Come see me and I'll treat.)
6. Because my best friend, who has been bearing a heavy burden, says she is feeling my prayers. Because prayers are truly heard.
7. Because my young friend with cancer is feeling stronger and her tumors have shrunk. Because I found her a really cute pair of earrings yesterday that will make her smile and make her little balding head look girlier. Because the US Mail will take them halfway across the country to her for about a buck. Isn't life great?
8. Because my cute boyfriend (the one I married) took me on a date this weekend and because we still have more to talk about after two decades than we have hours to talk. And because he still looks at me that way.
9. Because my children have such fine, Godly, funny, caring, wonderful, interesting, encouraging friends that I can only conclude that the Lord chose them for us.
10. Because I can't even begin to count my blessings.
What IS the world coming to?
Shieldmaiden
In case you needed further proof that the human race is doomed through stupidity, here are some actual label instructions on consumer goods.
On a Sears hairdryer -- "Do not use while sleeping."
(That's the only time I have to work on my hair.)
On a bag of Fritos -- "You could be a winner! No purchase necessary. Details inside."
(The shoplifter special?)
On a bar of Dial soap -- "Directions: Use like regular soap."
(And that would be....?)
On some Swanson frozen dinners -- "Serving suggestion: Defrost."
(But it's just a suggestion)
On Tesco's Tiramisu dessert (printed on bottom) -- "Do not turn upside down."
(Well... duh, a bit late!)
On Marks & Spencer Bread Pudding -- "Product will be hot after heating."
(And you thought...?)
On packaging for a Rowenta iron -- "Do not iron clothes on body."
(But wouldn't this save me time?)
On Boot's Children Cough Medicine -- "Do not drive a car or operate machinery after taking this medication."
(We could do a lot to reduce the rate of construction accidents if we could just get those 5 year-olds with head-colds off those bulldozers.)
On Nytol Sleep Aid -- "Warning: May cause drowsiness."
(I'm taking this because?)
On most brands of Christmas lights -- "For indoor or outdoor use only."
(As opposed to what?)
On a Japanese food processor -- "Not to be used for the other use."
(Now, somebody out there, help me on this. I'm a bit curious.)
On Sainsbury's peanuts -- "Warning: contains nuts."
(NEWS FLASH!!)
American Airlines packet of nuts -- "Instructions: Open packet, eat nuts."
(What an idea!)
On a child's Superman costume -- "Wearing of this garment does not enable you to fly."
(I don't blame the company. I blame the parents for this one.)
In case you needed further proof that the human race is doomed through stupidity, here are some actual label instructions on consumer goods.
On a Sears hairdryer -- "Do not use while sleeping."
(That's the only time I have to work on my hair.)
On a bag of Fritos -- "You could be a winner! No purchase necessary. Details inside."
(The shoplifter special?)
On a bar of Dial soap -- "Directions: Use like regular soap."
(And that would be....?)
On some Swanson frozen dinners -- "Serving suggestion: Defrost."
(But it's just a suggestion)
On Tesco's Tiramisu dessert (printed on bottom) -- "Do not turn upside down."
(Well... duh, a bit late!)
On Marks & Spencer Bread Pudding -- "Product will be hot after heating."
(And you thought...?)
On packaging for a Rowenta iron -- "Do not iron clothes on body."
(But wouldn't this save me time?)
On Boot's Children Cough Medicine -- "Do not drive a car or operate machinery after taking this medication."
(We could do a lot to reduce the rate of construction accidents if we could just get those 5 year-olds with head-colds off those bulldozers.)
On Nytol Sleep Aid -- "Warning: May cause drowsiness."
(I'm taking this because?)
On most brands of Christmas lights -- "For indoor or outdoor use only."
(As opposed to what?)
On a Japanese food processor -- "Not to be used for the other use."
(Now, somebody out there, help me on this. I'm a bit curious.)
On Sainsbury's peanuts -- "Warning: contains nuts."
(NEWS FLASH!!)
American Airlines packet of nuts -- "Instructions: Open packet, eat nuts."
(What an idea!)
On a child's Superman costume -- "Wearing of this garment does not enable you to fly."
(I don't blame the company. I blame the parents for this one.)
Postmodern Vegetation
Fa-So-La-La
"Turnips are singularly broad-minded."
---From Heretics, by G. K. Chesterton
Turnips, it turns out, are the ultimate Liberals, if you can believe it of something so seemingly red-state. They are broad-minded, accepting and non-judgmental. They let each man believe in their own truth. They are blinded by no prejudice of any kind.
But they have one major flaw-- they are still turnips.
Have you ever noticed that the more 'complex' a creature is (and I shudder to use a word that suggests that any of God's creatures are non-complex, but there it is), the less accepting it is? Amoebas spend their lives in a sort of half-conscious daze of eating and reproducing. But cats demand to be petted and groomed.
The same can be said of people, or properly of the worldviews of people. For the more complex and thought-out a worldview is, the more it will demand. A mind awake to truth will demand to be removed from the presence of error, and will try to banish error wherever it is found. But a person with a sketchy, half-finished idea of what is truth will not be repulsed. They will continue to bump along on the surface, happy to be warm, well-fed, and in possesion of the latest sports car or flat-screen TV. Like a turnip, they are singularly broad-minded.
"Turnips are singularly broad-minded."
---From Heretics, by G. K. Chesterton
Turnips, it turns out, are the ultimate Liberals, if you can believe it of something so seemingly red-state. They are broad-minded, accepting and non-judgmental. They let each man believe in their own truth. They are blinded by no prejudice of any kind.
But they have one major flaw-- they are still turnips.
Have you ever noticed that the more 'complex' a creature is (and I shudder to use a word that suggests that any of God's creatures are non-complex, but there it is), the less accepting it is? Amoebas spend their lives in a sort of half-conscious daze of eating and reproducing. But cats demand to be petted and groomed.
The same can be said of people, or properly of the worldviews of people. For the more complex and thought-out a worldview is, the more it will demand. A mind awake to truth will demand to be removed from the presence of error, and will try to banish error wherever it is found. But a person with a sketchy, half-finished idea of what is truth will not be repulsed. They will continue to bump along on the surface, happy to be warm, well-fed, and in possesion of the latest sports car or flat-screen TV. Like a turnip, they are singularly broad-minded.
July 16, 2005
Walking in the Air, from The Snowman
[Several of the Beehive faithful have asked for the lyrics. Always eager to oblige... Song written by Howard Blake.]
We're walking in the air
We're floating in the moonlit sky
The people far below are sleeping as we fly
I'm holding very tight
I'm riding in the midnight blue
I'm finding I can fly so high above with you
On across the world
The villages go by like dreams
The rivers and the hills, the forests and the streams
Children gaze open-mouthed
Taken by surprise
Nobody down below believes their eyes
We're surfing in the air
We're swimming in the frozen sky
We're drifting over icy mountains floating by
Suddenly swooping low
On an ocean deep
Rousing up a mighty monster from his sleep
We're walking in the air
We're dancing in the midnight sky
And everyone who sees us greets us as we fly
July 14, 2005
If you were a teenager in the 19th Century...
COULD YOU PASS THIS 8th GRADE EXAM FROM 1895?
This is the eighth-grade final exam from 1895 in Salina, Kansas, USA. It was taken from the original document on file at the Smokey Valley Genealogical Society and Library in Salina, KS, and reprinted by the Salina Journal.
Grammar (Time, one hour)
1. Give nine rules for the use of capital letters.
2. Name the parts of speech and define those that have no modifications.
3. Define verse, stanza and paragraph
4. What are the principal parts of a verb? Give principal parts of"lie,""play," and "run."
5. Define case; Illustrate each case.
6. What is punctuation? Give rules for principal marks of punctuation.
7 - 10. Write a composition of about 150 words and show therein that you understand the practical use of the rules of grammar.
Arithmetic (Time, 1.25 hours)
1. Name and define the Fundamental Rules of Arithmetic.
2. A wagon box is 2 ft. deep, 10 ft. long, and 3 ft. wide. How many bushels of wheat will it hold?
3. If a load of wheat weighs 3942 lbs., what is it worth at
50cts/bushel, deducting 1050 lbs. for tare?
4. District No. 33 has a valuation of $35,000. What is the necessary levy to carry on a school seven months at $50 per month, and have $104 for incidentals?
5. Find the cost of 6720 lbs. coal at $6.00 per ton.
6. Find the interest of $512.60 for 8 months and 18 days at 7 percent.
7. What is the cost of 40 boards 12 inches wide and 16 ft. long at $20 per metre?
8. Find bank discount on $300 for 90 days (no grace) at 10 percent.
9. What is the cost of a square farm at $15 per acre, the distance of which is 640 rods?
10. Write a Bank Check, a Promissory Note, and a Receipt.
U.S. History (Time, 45 minutes)
1. Give the epochs into which U.S. History is divided.
2. Give an account of the discovery of America by Columbus.
3. Relate the causes and results of the Revolutionary War.
4. Show the territorial growth of the United States.
5. Tell what you can of the history of Kansas.
6. Describe three of the most prominent battles of the Rebellion.
7. Who were the following: Morse, Whitney, Fulton, Bell, Lincoln, Penn, and Howe?
8. Name events connected with the following dates: 1607, 1620, 1800, 1849, 1865.
Orthography (Time, one hour)
1. What is meant by the following: Alphabet, phonetic, orthography, etymology, syllabication?
2. What are elementary sounds? How classified?
3. What are the following, and give examples of each: Trigraph, subvocals, diphthong, cognate letters, linguals.
4. Give four substitutes for caret 'u.'
5. Give two rules for spelling words with final 'e.' Name two exceptions under each rule.
6. Give two uses of silent letters in spelling. Illustrate each.
7. Define the following prefixes and use in connection with a word: bi, dis, mis, pre, semi, post, non, inter, mono, sup.
8 Mark diacritically and divide into syllables the following, and name the sign that indicates the sound: card, ball, mercy, sir, odd, cell, rise, blood, fare, last.
9. Use the following correctly in sentences: cite, site, sight, fane, fain, feign, vane, vain, vein, raze, raise, rays.
10. Write 10 words frequently mispronounced and indicate pronunciation by use of diacritical marks and by syllabication.
Geography (Time, one hour)
1. What is climate? Upon what does climate depend?
2. How do you account for the extremes of climate in Kansas?
3. Of what use are rivers? Of what use is the ocean?
4. Describe the mountains of North America.
5. Name and describe the following: Monrovia, Odessa, Denver, Manitoba, Hecla, Yukon, St. Helena, Juan Fernandez, Aspinwall and Orinoco.
6. Name and locate the principal trade centers of the U.S.
7. Name all the republics of Europe and give the capital of each.
8. Why is the Atlantic Coast colder than the Pacific in the same latitude?
9. Describe the process by which the water of the ocean returns to the sources of rivers.
10. Describe the movements of the earth. Give the inclination of the earth.
SO... how did you do?
This is the eighth-grade final exam from 1895 in Salina, Kansas, USA. It was taken from the original document on file at the Smokey Valley Genealogical Society and Library in Salina, KS, and reprinted by the Salina Journal.
Grammar (Time, one hour)
1. Give nine rules for the use of capital letters.
2. Name the parts of speech and define those that have no modifications.
3. Define verse, stanza and paragraph
4. What are the principal parts of a verb? Give principal parts of"lie,""play," and "run."
5. Define case; Illustrate each case.
6. What is punctuation? Give rules for principal marks of punctuation.
7 - 10. Write a composition of about 150 words and show therein that you understand the practical use of the rules of grammar.
Arithmetic (Time, 1.25 hours)
1. Name and define the Fundamental Rules of Arithmetic.
2. A wagon box is 2 ft. deep, 10 ft. long, and 3 ft. wide. How many bushels of wheat will it hold?
3. If a load of wheat weighs 3942 lbs., what is it worth at
50cts/bushel, deducting 1050 lbs. for tare?
4. District No. 33 has a valuation of $35,000. What is the necessary levy to carry on a school seven months at $50 per month, and have $104 for incidentals?
5. Find the cost of 6720 lbs. coal at $6.00 per ton.
6. Find the interest of $512.60 for 8 months and 18 days at 7 percent.
7. What is the cost of 40 boards 12 inches wide and 16 ft. long at $20 per metre?
8. Find bank discount on $300 for 90 days (no grace) at 10 percent.
9. What is the cost of a square farm at $15 per acre, the distance of which is 640 rods?
10. Write a Bank Check, a Promissory Note, and a Receipt.
U.S. History (Time, 45 minutes)
1. Give the epochs into which U.S. History is divided.
2. Give an account of the discovery of America by Columbus.
3. Relate the causes and results of the Revolutionary War.
4. Show the territorial growth of the United States.
5. Tell what you can of the history of Kansas.
6. Describe three of the most prominent battles of the Rebellion.
7. Who were the following: Morse, Whitney, Fulton, Bell, Lincoln, Penn, and Howe?
8. Name events connected with the following dates: 1607, 1620, 1800, 1849, 1865.
Orthography (Time, one hour)
1. What is meant by the following: Alphabet, phonetic, orthography, etymology, syllabication?
2. What are elementary sounds? How classified?
3. What are the following, and give examples of each: Trigraph, subvocals, diphthong, cognate letters, linguals.
4. Give four substitutes for caret 'u.'
5. Give two rules for spelling words with final 'e.' Name two exceptions under each rule.
6. Give two uses of silent letters in spelling. Illustrate each.
7. Define the following prefixes and use in connection with a word: bi, dis, mis, pre, semi, post, non, inter, mono, sup.
8 Mark diacritically and divide into syllables the following, and name the sign that indicates the sound: card, ball, mercy, sir, odd, cell, rise, blood, fare, last.
9. Use the following correctly in sentences: cite, site, sight, fane, fain, feign, vane, vain, vein, raze, raise, rays.
10. Write 10 words frequently mispronounced and indicate pronunciation by use of diacritical marks and by syllabication.
Geography (Time, one hour)
1. What is climate? Upon what does climate depend?
2. How do you account for the extremes of climate in Kansas?
3. Of what use are rivers? Of what use is the ocean?
4. Describe the mountains of North America.
5. Name and describe the following: Monrovia, Odessa, Denver, Manitoba, Hecla, Yukon, St. Helena, Juan Fernandez, Aspinwall and Orinoco.
6. Name and locate the principal trade centers of the U.S.
7. Name all the republics of Europe and give the capital of each.
8. Why is the Atlantic Coast colder than the Pacific in the same latitude?
9. Describe the process by which the water of the ocean returns to the sources of rivers.
10. Describe the movements of the earth. Give the inclination of the earth.
SO... how did you do?
July 12, 2005
Tonight's Dinner Music
Mark O'Connor - Fanfare for the VolunteerGreat Scot chose this CD -- a longtime favorite at our house -- for tonight's dinner music, and everyone was very happy. O'Connor is a jaw-dropping Texas fiddler AND a lyrical, gifted classical composer. He pays tribute to the state of Tennessee with this symphonic work. Pure magic, thoroughly American. Proof that there IS great classical music being composed today. Shieldmaiden dreams of being able to go to one of his fiddle camps in Nashville. Maybe next summer...
July 11, 2005
Braided
These mornings of her ribbons
and my origami fingers
weaving fairy wonders
of God's own silk
mimic so the braid in hand:
they accrue yet dwindle down – such
a cruel equation,
except for this:
the lush distraction of its
golden geometry – behold
the heirloomed loveliness
of three-in-one.
over, through, gather, breathe
The matriarchal trademark
of daughter-whim decreed – today:
“French, please – high but loose” –
I make it so.
pull, smoothe, gather, breathe
Wonder of my womb, her head --
silk and velvet set with sapphires --
waltzes in ancient steps;
I gently lead.
push, stroke, love, breathe
Entwined, entranced, we slip beneath
quotidian thought, where rustles
afresh our natal waltz--
God weaving her.
Silence, hush! – a sacred flash
now throbs the cord we scarcely knew,
then braided between us
by holy hand.
by Lynn Bruce
and my origami fingers
weaving fairy wonders
of God's own silk
mimic so the braid in hand:
they accrue yet dwindle down – such
a cruel equation,
except for this:
the lush distraction of its
golden geometry – behold
the heirloomed loveliness
of three-in-one.
over, through, gather, breathe
The matriarchal trademark
of daughter-whim decreed – today:
“French, please – high but loose” –
I make it so.
pull, smoothe, gather, breathe
Wonder of my womb, her head --
silk and velvet set with sapphires --
waltzes in ancient steps;
I gently lead.
push, stroke, love, breathe
Entwined, entranced, we slip beneath
quotidian thought, where rustles
afresh our natal waltz--
God weaving her.
Silence, hush! – a sacred flash
now throbs the cord we scarcely knew,
then braided between us
by holy hand.
by Lynn Bruce
July 8, 2005
A GOOD PUN IS ITS OWN RE-WORD
Great Scot
As many of you know, the denizens of the Beehive, including The Queen, have been away during the last week. As they say, when the cat's away, the mice will play. So, in keeping with my somewhat warped sense of humor, I submit to you the following (in lieu of the more meaningful and weighty posts of the other participants in the Beehive):
Khakis: What you need to start the car in Boston.
Energizer Bunny arrested - charged with battery.
A pessimist's blood type is always b-negative.
I used to work in a blanket factory, but it folded.
If electricity comes from electrons... does that mean that morality comes from morons?
Corduroy pillows are making headlines.
Sea captains don't like crew cuts.
Does the name Pavlov ring a bell?
A successful diet is the triumph of mind over platter.
A gossip is someone with a great sense of rumor.
Without geometry, life is pointless.
When you dream in color, it's a pigment of your imagination.
Reading while sunbathing makes you well-red.
When two egotists meet, it's an I for an I.
Alarms: What an octopus is.
Dockyard: A physician's garden.
Incongruous: Where bills are passed.
Pasteurize: Too far to see.
I feel better now! You can all now go back to your analysis of poetry and literature!
As many of you know, the denizens of the Beehive, including The Queen, have been away during the last week. As they say, when the cat's away, the mice will play. So, in keeping with my somewhat warped sense of humor, I submit to you the following (in lieu of the more meaningful and weighty posts of the other participants in the Beehive):
Khakis: What you need to start the car in Boston.
Energizer Bunny arrested - charged with battery.
A pessimist's blood type is always b-negative.
I used to work in a blanket factory, but it folded.
If electricity comes from electrons... does that mean that morality comes from morons?
Corduroy pillows are making headlines.
Sea captains don't like crew cuts.
Does the name Pavlov ring a bell?
A successful diet is the triumph of mind over platter.
A gossip is someone with a great sense of rumor.
Without geometry, life is pointless.
When you dream in color, it's a pigment of your imagination.
Reading while sunbathing makes you well-red.
When two egotists meet, it's an I for an I.
Alarms: What an octopus is.
Dockyard: A physician's garden.
Incongruous: Where bills are passed.
Pasteurize: Too far to see.
I feel better now! You can all now go back to your analysis of poetry and literature!
July 2, 2005
Society for the Prevention of Christian Knowledge
Fa-So-La-La
Also known as the SPCK. Also known as the mega-church. Don't believe me? Just read this quote from Heretics by G. K. Chesterton--
This has fascinating implications for the 'big-church' mindset of many Christians. They seem to think that a larger church is necessarily a better church. But is this true? Chesterton says that large societies prevent Christian knowledge, so therefore a church with large membership is actually counteracting its own aims.
Also known as the SPCK. Also known as the mega-church. Don't believe me? Just read this quote from Heretics by G. K. Chesterton--
"It is not fashionable to say much nowadays of the advantages of the small community. We are told that we must go in for large empires and large ideas. There is one advantage, however, in the small state, the city, or the village, which only the willfully blind can overlook.
"The man who lives in a small community lives in a much larger world. He knows much more of the fierce varieties and uncompromising divergences of men. The reason is obvious. In a large community we can choose our companions. In a small community our companions are chosen for us.
"Thus in all extensive and highly civilized societies groups come into existence founded upon what is called sympathy, and shut out the real world more sharply than the gates of a monastery.
"There is nothing really narrow about the clan; the thing which is really narrow is the clique. The men of the clan live together because they all wear the same tartan or are all descended from the same sacred cow; but in their souls, by the divine luck of things, there will always be more colours than in any tartan.
"But the men of the clique live together because they have the same kind of soul, and their narrowness is a narrowness of spiritual coherence and contentment, like that which exists in hell.
"A big society exists in order to form cliques. A big society is a society for the promotion of narrowness. It is a machinery for the purpose of guarding the solitary and sensitive individual from all experience of the bitter and bracing human compromises.It is, in the most literal sense of the words, a society for the prevention of Christian knowledge. "
This has fascinating implications for the 'big-church' mindset of many Christians. They seem to think that a larger church is necessarily a better church. But is this true? Chesterton says that large societies prevent Christian knowledge, so therefore a church with large membership is actually counteracting its own aims.
Epidemic Conceit
I don't know how Peggy Noonan manages to write my own plodding thoughts into essays that sparkle with clarity and purpose, but she's been doing it so long that I am just learning to accept it, and be grateful for it.
Don't miss this one.
"I have seen all the works that are done under the sun; and, behold, all is vanity and vexation of spirit." Eccl 1:14
Don't miss this one.
"I have seen all the works that are done under the sun; and, behold, all is vanity and vexation of spirit." Eccl 1:14
All Ears
Fa-So-La-La
This is one of the most amazing poems I have ever read, simply because of the way it sounds! The first time you read it, don't even think about what it says. Just listen to it.
Coloratura
Poised betneath a twig-wigged tree,
she spills her sparkling vocal powder:
slippery sound slivers, silvery
like spider's spittle, only louder.
Oh yes, she Cares (with a high C)
for Fellow-Humans (you and me);
for us she'll twitter nothing bitter;
she'll knit her fitter, sweeter glitter;
her vocal cords mince words for us
and crumble croutons with crisp crunch
(lunch for her little lambs to munch)
into a cream-filled demitasse.
But hark! It's dark! Oh doom too soon!
She's threatened by the black basoon.
It's hoarse and coarse, it's grim and gruff,
it calls her dainty voice's bluff--
Basso Profundo, end this terror,
do-re-mi mene tekel et cetera!
You want to silence her, abduct her
to our chilly life behind the scenes?
To our Siberian steppes of stopped-up sinuses,
frogs in all throats, eternal hems and haws,
where we, poor souls, gape soundlessly
like fish? And this is what you wish?
Oh nay! Oh nay! Though doom be nigh,
she'll keep her chin and pitch up high!
Her fate is hanging by a hair
of voice so thin it sounds like air,
but that's enough for her to take
a breath and soar, without a break,
chandelierward; and while she's there,
her vox humana crystal-clears
the whole world up. And we're all ears.
----Wislawa Szymborska
[The Queen appends: Szymborska has made an earlier appearance here at the Beehive, which you may read here. Fantastic poet. I recently bought a book of her poems, and Fa-So-La-La and I have been hiding it from one another ever since.]
This is one of the most amazing poems I have ever read, simply because of the way it sounds! The first time you read it, don't even think about what it says. Just listen to it.
Coloratura
Poised betneath a twig-wigged tree,
she spills her sparkling vocal powder:
slippery sound slivers, silvery
like spider's spittle, only louder.
Oh yes, she Cares (with a high C)
for Fellow-Humans (you and me);
for us she'll twitter nothing bitter;
she'll knit her fitter, sweeter glitter;
her vocal cords mince words for us
and crumble croutons with crisp crunch
(lunch for her little lambs to munch)
into a cream-filled demitasse.
But hark! It's dark! Oh doom too soon!
She's threatened by the black basoon.
It's hoarse and coarse, it's grim and gruff,
it calls her dainty voice's bluff--
Basso Profundo, end this terror,
do-re-mi mene tekel et cetera!
You want to silence her, abduct her
to our chilly life behind the scenes?
To our Siberian steppes of stopped-up sinuses,
frogs in all throats, eternal hems and haws,
where we, poor souls, gape soundlessly
like fish? And this is what you wish?
Oh nay! Oh nay! Though doom be nigh,
she'll keep her chin and pitch up high!
Her fate is hanging by a hair
of voice so thin it sounds like air,
but that's enough for her to take
a breath and soar, without a break,
chandelierward; and while she's there,
her vox humana crystal-clears
the whole world up. And we're all ears.
----Wislawa Szymborska
[The Queen appends: Szymborska has made an earlier appearance here at the Beehive, which you may read here. Fantastic poet. I recently bought a book of her poems, and Fa-So-La-La and I have been hiding it from one another ever since.]
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