ice flecks
on azalea buds
the koi go deep
good morning kiss
wing beats
of the hummingbird
(Brooks Books, 2002)
flowering peach tree —
eighteen thousand haiku
slowly savored
an avalanche roars
down Thunder Mountain–
first crocus
“flowering peach tree –” – WHC Shiki Haiku Poems Contest
“an avalanche roars” – A New Resonance 3; Haiku Headlines (April, 2002)
by dagosan
telephone wires sway —
pigeons stay put
while a squirrel _______________ scoots
[May 14, 2005]
potluck
Blackberry Winter: No, it’s not the anticipated holiday gift-gizmo
sensation for Christmas 2005. The term is new to me, although probably
familiar to my Southern friends. It’s “the opposite of Indian Summer,”
which I Googled today, after experiencing two nights of frost. I had
expected something like “Whiteman’s Winter,” but Blackberry is better,
as is the alternate dogwood winter. As they explain at Dave’s Garden:
“Similar to blackberry winter, a dogwood winter is a term
used by Southerners to describe a period of cold weather
that coincides with the blooming of the local dogwoods.
“Typically the trees bloom sometime between mid-April
and mid-May (depending on the weather variations of the
season) and such a cold spell is often the last winter-like
weather of the season.”
I’m not complaining about the coldsnap. Blackberry Winter has yielded
gorgeous afternoons and put off the inevitable heat and humidity of
summer in Schenectady. Since George M. Wallace has certainly read
Robert Penn Warren’s novelette Blackberry Winter, perhaps he could
give us a literary footnote or two on the topic.
Disbarment has been recommended for three Boston lawyers
who are accused of using deceptive, unseemly tactics to obtain evidence of
a judge’s purported bias against their clients. Read details in the Boston
is trying too hard to give the lawyers an excuse, saying (without having read
the 229-page opinion) that “the lawyers probably thought they were just being
creative.” Brad also suggests it’s”ironic” that the lawyers involved were “prominent”
and two have held legal positions focusing on ethics. In my experience, neither of
those characteristics seems to have much to do with avoiding the hubris or other
defective attitudes that lead to unethical lawyer conduct.
“tinyredcheck” “Santo Subito!” Pardon my brashness, but it is difficult to take
a religion seriously that is as heavily into the cult of personality as the Catholic
Church has been over super-star John Paul II. Fast-tracking canonization (the
official declaration that someone is a saint and residing in Heaven) has, to be
diplomatic, very little to do with making the world a better place or individuals
more saintly or ethical. Who says these guys won’t change their rules?
The Mircle Police will now be investigating claims that John Paul
interceded to procure a miracle. I’ve never quite understood the
notion of asking a dead person to ask God to do you a favor (nor
of asking God to give a dead person a break). I believe we’re all
loved by the Creator and can talk to her/him/it directly. Also, if we
are judged for the way we live our lives, having lots of friends
praying for us should be irrelevant. It’s what you do, not who
you know. Just my humble opinion.
Many thanks to haijin Ed Markowski for pointing me to the reprint
of “Play Ball!” that is available at the e-journal Simply Haiku (Sept./Oct. 2003).
It is a collection of thirty baseball-related haiku written by the venerable poet and
editor Cor van den Heuvel. Spread over ten pages, each page features a grainy,
oldtime black-and-white photograph with a baseball theme. (The book, published
by Red Moon Press, 1999, is reviewed here.) Even non-fanatics like myself will be
delighted. Or your money back.
(having your conduct described on the internet) will help deter unseemly lawyer conduct.
Five days after Eric Muller quoted his offensive and juvenile email at IsThatLegal?, I
Googled
conduct (with links to this weblog, Muller’s and LEF). Are we learning any lessons in self-
restraint?