f/k/a archives . . . real opinions & real haiku

February 18, 2008

we like Lawyer Lincoln

Filed under: Haiku or Senryu,q.s. quickies — David Giacalone @ 11:37 am

topHatAbe We are still avoiding new lawyer-themed punditry here at f/k/a. But, this is Presidents’ Day, and our admiration for that lanky lawyer from Illinois, Abraham Lincoln, makes the Gang want to remind you of prior posting we’ve done about him and his attitudes toward lawyering, litigation, life, etc. So please take a look at:

the great lord
forced off his horse…
cherry blossoms

. . ………. by Kobyashi Issa, translated by David G. Lanoue

If you’re looking for new content here at f/k/a, how about some Sports senryu by a pair of our Honored Guest Poets, from this newest issue of Simply Haiku (Vol. 6 no. 1, Spring 2008):

AM radio dial — baseballG
lights up with the roar
of a ball game

on seventeen he
hits the sand he hits the sand
he hits he hits hits….

………………… by Barry George
“on seventeen” from Modern Haiku 36:3

last second field goal…
for the fifth straight week
my bookie wins

up from Pawtucket
his error in slow-mo
on the centerfield scoreboard

after confession baseballG
father shows us
how to throw a spitter

…………………… by Ed Markowski

February 15, 2008

lawrence and the flamingos – a Stockade Valentine mystery

Filed under: Haiku or Senryu,q.s. quickies,Schenectady Synecdoche — David Giacalone @ 5:32 pm

[Daily Gazette, Marc Schultz, larger photo]

Valentine stroll
neither lover mentions
the pink flamingos

…………. by dagosan

Did you get flocked on Valentine’s Day? If you live in The Stockade, a tiny historic district in Schenectady, New York, it’s really hard not to get flocked by a flamboyance of pink flamingos on February 14 — and (virtually) no one knows who’s doing the flocking. As described in today’s Schenectady Daily Gazette, fourteen pink flamingos appeared overnight within the small traffic circle monument to Lawrence the Indian, and were gone when the sun set. See “Pink flamingos make annual appearance: Stockade residents have grown fond of Valentine’s Day tradition” (February 15, 2008). Reporter Kathleen Moore explains:

“Welcome to the Stockade’s Valentine’s Day mystery.

“For nearly a decade, someone has decorated Lawrence the Indian with pink flamingos on Feb. 14. Most have no idea who does it or why the day of love is being celebrated with one of the tackiest decorations available in stores today.”

At the Gazette Online website, you’ll find more details and some humorous speculation, but you will not learn the identity of the impish Mohawk-flockers. The only clue is cryptic: “The covert decorators are actually two middle-aged men, who asked for anonymity since they’ve kept their identities a secret for so long.” [Indeed, although he was recently sighted lurking in and around the Stockade with another middle-aged gent, and he has demonstrated a rather warped attitude about Valentine’s Day at his weblog, the mysteriously anonymous Editor of Blawg Review denies planting the pink plastic fowl, but wishes he had thought of it first.] As to their motives, one of the aging delinquent flamingo herders says:

“The goal was to show residents that change could be good,” . . . .

And, his cohort in crime said, “It was sort of a hoot.”

Currently, you can find quite a few additional pictures of the 2008 Stockade flamingo episode at the homepage of the Stockade Neighborhood Association.

follow-up-dates (February 13, 2009): See our post “Valentine flamingos return to the Stockade,” which has many new photos; and see more coverage, with lots of photos, of the 2011 Stockade Flamingos and the 2010 Stockade Flamingos, at our sister weblog “suns along the Mohawk.”

Why make Valentine’s Day into Flamingo Day? We get no satisfactory explanation in the Gazette. However, as a dateless denizen of the Stockade, I can appreciate the reaction of two interviewed Stockadians, when asked by the Gazette reporter:

Newcomer Katy Nestor, who came upon the flamingos on her way to Arthur’s Market, said the birds could be the last resort for the dateless. “If you can, you spend Valentine’s with the ones you love … if you have nobody, come be with the flamingos,” she said. “It’s great. They’re cute.”

Joyce Wachala, co-owner of Arthur’s Market, said the flamingos are particularly welcomed by single residents. “A lot of people down here are single. Valentine’s Day is so hard for people — and this is so nice,” she said. “I think it’s adorable.”

winter sunset
in the shrimp boat’s wake
pink pelicans

spring rain the cat’s pink nipples

……. by Carolyn Hall –
“spring rain” – 2003 Henderson Haiku Competition, Hon. Men.; Frogpond XXVII: 1
“winter sunset” – The Heron’s Nest (II:5, May 2000)

follow-up-date (February 13, 2009): See our post “Valentine flamingos return to the Stockade,” which has many new photos.

With the subject-matter vacuum left at f/k/a by our no-politics and no-legal-ethics pledge, Your Editor decided to dig deeper into the whole flamingo and pink theme. It seems that getting flocked by pink flamingos is not merely a Schenectady activity, although it has not apparently been associated with Valentine’s Day nor reached the level of “tradition” elsewhere. The folks at Get Flocked.com explain:

“Flocks of Flamingos are a great way to celebrate a special occasion such as a birthday or anniversary. Flamingo Flocking is a great way to raise funds for your church, group, or organization. By the pair or by the flock… Flamingos are just fun.”

Of course, Get Flocked only sells the Genuine “Don Featherstone” design pink flamingo. Much like my own Valentine date situation, this demand for classic quality has caused a large availability problem. You see, the Union Products Co., which produced Featherstone’s pink plastic icons for almost half a century, closed in 2006. (See “RIP: Pink Flamingo, 1957-2006” (South Florida Sun-Sentinel, October 20, 2006; listen to NPR coverage, Oct. 31, 2006) As a result, they’re even Out of Stock at Get Flocked (but you can settle for a substitute at eBay).

Nevertheless, do not despair. The f/k/a Gang has some suggestions for anyone still hoping to get flocked by pink flamingos in the afterglow of Valentine’s Day.

mother-in-law –
at the tip of her swizzle stick
pink flamingo

visit home
the pink flamingo’s
cracked wing

……………………………. by Roberta Beary – specially commissioned by f/k/a –

  • (Feb. 16, 2008 update/insert): Our Honored Guest and friend Ed Markowski swooped in overnight with his own flock of flamingo poems for our Lawrence Flamingo Celebration. Here are a trio; check our Comments section below for more:

mobile home park
apple blossoms settle
on a pink flamingo

[Ed. Note: one poem temporarily removed.]

two pink flamingos
& a waitress named Sally…
summer begins

  • If money is no object, we sighted a pair of genuine Featherstone flamingos (along with a warning against fake signature versions from China), at Amazon.com for over $100; but another pair of knockoffs for $12.

For the more intellectual and history-oriented flamingo buffs, we suggest the book “The Original Pink Flamingos: Splendor on the Grass” (Schiffer Publishing, 1999, 98 pp., Paperback), which is co-authored by Don Featherstone, the designer of the most famous lawn ornament of our times (with apologies to the Virgin in a Bathtub). The book’s description notes:

“In 1957, Don Featherstone sculptured the first three-dimensional pink plastic flamingo, thereby making affordable bad taste accessible to the American public” –from Pink Flamingos. This is the tale of a wonderful bird, named by his creator phoenicopteris ruber plasticus; a new avian species, now known to all as “Pink Plastic Flamingo.”

“. . . If you’re a believer, or even a skeptic, take a look, see for yourself. This book is one of a kind, the documentation of American genius, homage to an icon, or, perhaps, a rare opportunity to observe a culturally tolerated symbol of taste gone awry. It’s great fun!”

Kitsch collectors should click this link for Pink Flamingos Gift Set (Running Press Mini Kits), for a pair of desktop mini flamingos with their own patch of lawn, and “a book celebrating America’s beloved bauble of bad taste as a symbol of kitschy fun in the sun.”

Also, from Get Flocked get a cap, t-shirt or other apparel.

pink mitten
at the curb –
warming one small red hand

historic district —
an old sidewalk trips up
the blossom gazer

another year
without learning their names –
trees with pink blossoms

………………………….. by dagosan

Or, perhaps this pair in flamingo pink [formerly] at Target is more up your alley (or, another flamingo bikini beauty from SwimHut).

parting her pink robe
–daybreak

……………… by Yu Chang, from A New Resonance (1999).

And, last but — certainly around here — not least, enjoy a flock of poems by our Honored Guest Poets, and dagosan, bathed in the hue of pink:

new lover
pink light sleeps
Amsterdam awakens

….. by pamela miller ness – from pink light, sleeping (chapbook, 24 p, Small Poetry Press, Concord, CA, 1998)

new pink sneakers –
grandma’s porch step
still creaks

………… by Laryalee Fraser – clouds peak #2

footbridge
pink clouds
between the boulders

…….. by Yu Chang – from Upstate Dim Sum

pink begonias
deepening
the grey fall

…………………….. by Barry George at simply haiku

country stop sign–
the pink glow of sunset
through .22 holes

…………. by Lee Gurga from Fresh Scent (Brooks Books, 1998)

st. patrick’s day
the foreman hands out
pink slips

………….. by ed markowski

in the pink dusk
with pimples
moon

…….. by David G. Lanoue from Dewdrop World (2005)

trespassing –
three pink tulips
in an unkempt yard

pink clouds in the crotch
of the bare oak
the street-walker stares

white to pink–
clouds repainted
while we sip our wine

………………………. by dagosan

breathing space—
the deepening pink
of alpenglow

sunny morning —
pink tulips in bloom
on the preschool’s walls

……………………… by Billie Wilson – The Haiku Society of America Newsletter XIX:1 (2004)

easter brunch sunglassesR
his daughter’s hair
a new shade of pink

……………………… by Roberta Beary, The Unworn Necklace (2007)

a present, a present
a New Year’s present!
her pink cheeks

…………….. by Kobayashi Issa,
translated by David G. Lanoue

it’s pink! it’s purple!
sunset inspires
more bickering

……………….. by david giacalone, Frogpond Vol. XXVIII, #2 (2005)
[haiga photo: Arthur Giacalone; see the haiga here]

faint pink lips
where someone kissed
the window

…………….. by David G. Lanoue from Haiku Guy: a novel

(more…)

February 13, 2008

not really in a valentine mood

Filed under: Haiga or Haibun,Haiku or Senryu,q.s. quickies — David Giacalone @ 1:03 pm

update/lowdown (Feb. 15, 2008):

Feb. 15
he buys himself
a half-priced heart

………………… by dagosan

Afterthought (9 PM; Feb. 13): An article in today’s New York Times has helped me understand that there are far worse things in life than dining alone on Valentine’s Day. See “I Love You, but You Love Meat” (by Kate Murphy, Feb. 13, 2008). This excerpt may or may not whet your appetite and open your heart to the Diety of Dietary Differences:

“Sharing meals has always been an important courtship ritual and a metaphor for love. But in an age when many people define themselves by what they will eat and what they won’t, dietary differences can put a strain on a romantic relationship. The culinary camps have become so balkanized that some factions consider interdietary dating taboo.

“No-holds-barred carnivores, for example, may share the view of Anthony Bourdain, who wrote in his book “Kitchen Confidential” that “vegetarians, and their Hezbollah-like splinter faction, the vegans … are the enemy of everything good and decent in the human spirit.”

“Returning the compliment, many vegetarians say they cannot date anyone who eats meat. Vegans, who avoid eating not just animals but animal-derived products, take it further, shivering at the thought of kissing someone who has even sipped honey-sweetened tea.”

a single
mimosa
– hold the toast

………………. by dagosan

2HeartsV Another ya-ya-less Valentine’s Day. Sigh. Regular readers of this weblog will recall our love-hate relationship with the holiday made for lovers. See

Valentine’s Day –
I forget to get
the garbage out

…………..……. by Tom Clausen – Upstate Dim Sum (2005/II)

Heimliched out of me
pink candy heart
wordless now

…………… by Randy Brooks from School’s Out

At our postings linked above, we’ve presented an assortment of Valentine-related haiku and senryu, and you will surely find something to fit almost every V-Day perspective. Of course, when it comes to mixed feelings about love and romance, nobody says it better than lawyer-poet Roberta Beary. Sometimes referred to as “Cheery Beary” by her habitually-romantic husband Frank Stella, Roberta came through for Valentine’s Day 2008, with this little haibun [short prose with a linked poem] from the brand new edition of Modern Haiku (Vol. 39:1, Winter 2008):

What I Mean Is heartarrowV

everyone knows everything old people know only the good die young and kids know parents don’t know it all and teachers know students wait until the day before the project is due and you and i both know that love doesn’t conquer anything in fact it doesn’t even come close

as if it mattered
i pocket
a red leaf

………………………………… by Roberta Beary, Modern Haiku 39:1 (2008)

This might be a good time to remind husbands of Joshua Foer’s 2006 Valentine op/ed piece, “A kiss isn’t just a kiss,” in the International Herald Tribune (Feb. 13, 2006), where he points out:

“A study conducted during the 1980’s found that men who kiss their wives before leaving for work live longer, get into fewer car accidents and have a higher income than married men who don’t.

“So put down this newspaper and pucker up. It does a body good.”

valentine’s day
we do nothing
different

valentine’s day
the sensous curves
of a snow drift

…………. by ed markowski mail neg

Valentine’s Day —
the new sign says
“Thin Ice”

February 14
a handful of cards
from relatives

alone at home –
the hermit counts
his Valentine savings

………………………… by dagosan

As I said in 2005, George Swede’s quiet moments of romance are more my style (even when I am home alone on Valentine’s Day):

at the height
of the argument the old couple
pour each other tea

almost unseen embraceGS
among the tangled driftwood
naked lovers

on the face
that last night called me names
morning sunbeam

sunrise
I forget my side
of the argument

…………………… by George Swede from Almost Unseen: Selected Haiku of George Swede

p.s. On the other hand, an article in today’s New York Times makes me glad I’m no longer representing children in custody disputes in family and divorce court. See “Religion Joins Custody Cases, to Judges’ Unease” (NYT, Feb. 13, 2008)

custody hearing
seeing his arms cross
i uncross mine

…………………………………. by roberta beary – pocket change; and New Resonance 2

update (Feb. 14, 2008): It’s shocking for regular folks, but — as I learned in law school and Family Court — some lawyers can’t distinguish between “unfun” and “unfair.”

February 12, 2008

Schenectady barbers want Mondays off

Filed under: Haiku or Senryu,q.s. quickies,Schenectady Synecdoche — David Giacalone @ 8:08 pm

CautionBadHairN As Carolyn Elefant has been saying for years (and argues in her acclaimed new book Solo by Choice), one of the great advantages of owning your own small business as a sole proprietor is having greater control over “quality of life” issues, such as which days and hours you will work. Of course, most solo lawyers don’t have perfect control of their time — court schedules, client emergencies and deadlines, and tasks that take much longer than expected to handle diligently, can at times make it quite difficult for a solo lawyer to keep to a rigid schedule.

[image from BarberPole.com]

The same cannot be said, however, for barbers. If you own a barbershop, you can pretty much call the shots when it comes to when you’re open for business. A customer’s bad hair day or important social engagement poses no big social expectation or ethical obligation to provide your services during designated off-hours. You post a sign and expect your patrons to abide by it. If you want to make an exception for a loyal client, you do. Sure, there will be marketplace forces that tempt you to increase your hours to attract or keep some customers, but each barbershop owner has to decide for himself or herself which values are most important, and whether work-life balance wins out over financial needs or desires.

With those assumptions in mind, along with my usual pro-consumer and pro-competition biases as a former antitrust lawyer, I was rather bemused seeing the lead business-section article in the Schenectady Sunday Gazette, with the headline “Clash of barbers: Should shops be closed on Mondays?: Unionized barber waging battle to keep traditional day off” (February 10, 2008). As reporter James Schlett explains, Richard DiCristofaro, owner of Wedgeway Barber Shop in Schenectady, considers it a “cardinal sin” that a barber in neighboring Rotterdam was open on the Monday before Christmas, and decries the “greed” of those who violate the 60-year agreement of local barbers not to work on Mondays, which allows them to all have a five-day workweek. The article explains:

“At least in Schenectady, Mondays are turning into the latest front in unions’ battle against the global and corporate forces that are trimming away the benefits organized workers fought for during much of the 20th century. At his 96-year-old shop on Erie Boulevard, [Richard] DiCristofaro is mounting a spring campaign designed to turn union supporters against barbers who offer haircuts on Mondays.

“For the past few weeks, DiCristofaro — the former president of the Schenectady Barbers’ Union Local 176 — has become more vocal about the Monday issue. He has run advertisements criticizing the practice in The Daily Gazette and sought support from the United Food and Commercial Workers Local 1.

“ ‘They’ve always done as they please, which is fine. What we want to do is make people aware that they’re not union,’ DiCristofaro said.”

BadHairDayG Perhaps the legal experts at Antitrust Review or the Employment Blawg will let me know if my analysis is off, but here’s my reaction to Mr. DiCristofaro (which I also made in a comment to the online Gazette article):

  • No matter what they call themselves, this group of barbershop owners is not a union — they’re small businessmen and, most important, competing sellers of a service, acting together in a trade association.

By agreeing not to open on Mondays, and by trying to force other shops to close on Mondays, the “union” of barbers is really a cartel engaging in collective action that appears to violate the antitrust law.

  • Antitrust law considers joint action by competing sellers — aimed at either other sellers or their customers — to dictate the terms of service (such as hours of business) to be unlawful boycotts. It doesn’t matter if the competitors are “little guys” or even “goodfellas.”
  • Thus, the U.S. Supreme Court agreed with the Federal Trade Commission in 1990 that a group of solo practice lawyers, who served as assigned counsel for indigent defendants, were competitors and could not engage in a boycott to get better terms of service, even if they were acting to protect constitutional rights. [see FTC v. Sup. Ct. Trial Lawyers Ass’n, 493 U.S. 411 (1990); and our posting about the Mass. Bar Advocates].
  • More important, in the late 1980’s, the Supreme Court confirmed the FTC’s conclusion that Detroit Area Auto Dealers could not agree to be closed on Saturdays, even if they did so to keep their employees happy, or to achieve other social benefits. [see “Car Dealers Lose Ruling” (AP/New York Times, March 3, 1989); “More dealers open Saturdays” (Detroit News, March 9, 2005); and continuing FTC action in Detroit Auto Dealers Association, Inc, Docket No. 9189]
  • Barbers are independent business owners, who have every right to close on whatever day they want to close or to allow employees to have two days off a week, in order to seek life balance goals. But, they cannot act together to deprive consumers of the choice of getting a haircut on a Monday, or to coerce competitors to limit operations to five days a week. Loyal clients will fit their haircut requirements into their barber’s schedule — or, as they have every right to do (and if that loyalty has not been earned), find a shop that accommodates their needs or convenience.

For me, calling themselves a union does a disservice to real unions (composed solely of employees) and the “unionized” barbers should not be pressuring members of genuine employee unions to help coerce competing barbers to close on Mondays. Over the decades (like auto dealers in Detroit), barbers have put bricks through the windows of many shops that stayed open on the “wrong” days. (I remember hearing about such efforts in my hometown, Rochester, NY, in the 1960’s, where barbers tried to enforce competitors to close on Wednesdays.) Let’s hope Schenectady’s disgruntled barbers have the courage to act individually on their convictions (even if it loses them customers), rather than behaving in ways that might get them convicted.

again, the bald barber
cuts my hair
too short

as the professor speaks
only his bald spot
is illuminated


BadHairDayG ……… by George Swede from Almost Unseen

holiday rush
the barber speaks wistfully
of the sixties

late day showers…
my hair gel
reactivates


…………………. by ed markowski


disinfectant jar –
there must be 14 or 15
barber’s combs

……………………… by Michael Dylan Welch
Shiki Haikusphere 10th Anniversary Anthology (2007)

barber’s sweepings
a touch of grey splits
man and boy


letting go…
cherry blossom drifts
into cut hair

. . . ………………… by matt morden at Morden Haiku

my childhood barber shop–
only the mirror
has changed


………………… by dagosan

p.s. The Wedgeway Barber Shop is located in the same building as The Grog Shoppe, the last place where “Ed,” the infamously anonymous Editor of Blawg Review, was sighted in Schenectady last week. (read Ed’s account here)

February 10, 2008

by popular demand (we wish): my haiku oeuvre

Filed under: Haiku or Senryu,q.s. quickies — David Giacalone @ 6:57 pm

The political-punditry devil who lurks within the heart of the f/k/a Gang has been dying to write about the presidential nomination process, despite our continuing “no politics” pledge.

To resist the old Temptor within, we’ve needed a project that would fully occupy our idle minds and hands during the run-up to Super Tuesday and its aftermath all this past week (see CNN Election 2008). As a result, dagosan has finally tackled a task that — despite the occasional request by a fevered (and sometimes really cute) fan — has been repeatedly pushed from the top of our To-Do list: bringing the published haiku of David Giacalone together on one webpage. Thus, after avoiding the devil’s workshop trap (while treading lightly on the sinful thin ice of pride and self-aggrandizement), we are pleased to announce the compilation and posting of:

“the published haiku of david giacalone (2005 – 2007)”

As noted on the compilation page, my haiku and senryu were first accepted for publication in haiku journals in early 2005. Here are the first two:

alone —
hugging
warm laundry

new paperback —
the sun sets
without me

– from The Heron’s Nest (March 2005)

The page is for the one or two kind souls interested in following my progress in this poetic genre — but not interested enough to click all of the links in my dagosan haikai archives, much less searching the back pages of f/k/a, or my personal poetry weblogs (dagosan’s haiku diary and simply senryu) or group weblogs such as Magnapoets Japanese Form. I’ve brought together each of the poems which were selected by journal or anthology editors for publication in 2005 through 2007, and presented them, in chronological order of their appearance, with hyperlinks provided to all of the pieces available online.

Going through my one-breath poems again has been both encouraging and humbling. (Made even more humbling, as I uploaded the page, by the release this afternoon of the annual The Heron’s Nest Readers Choice Awards, Vol. IX, 2007, which honors some of the true super-stars of modern English-language haiku, and will be featured here at f/k/a tomorrow; and by the recent launch of young Collin Barber’s haiku weblog, which features his impressive collection of published work). My batch of about 90 haiku and senryu is big enough to feel good about, without being too large to handle on one page of a weblog.

The process of reviewing my earliest poems, and deciding to shine a spotlight on them, caused a few thoughts I’d like to share:

  • I wish I hadn’t stopped my self-imposed obligation to write at least one poem a day “good enough to post at my weblog without being too embarrassed.” That discipline produced many more poems worth submitting to journals than my current haphazard approach to penning poems. As with my academic and legal careers, like my Cartoon Buddy Calvin, I need deadlines to be productive. On the other hand, I’m not possessed by the constant need to submit poems to journals and contests, and I’m glad that there is no inner fear that I must publish or perish as a haiku poet.
  • Experience and evolving tastes and preferences (see, e.g., my essay on “tell-ems“), makes me want to edit a bunch of them, but I’m satisfied with learning from my own mistakes.
  • Many thanks to all the haiku poets living and dead who have inspired, instructed, and encouraged me (especially our f/k/a Honored Guest Poets). And thanks to readers of this weblog, and a handful of kith and kin, who have let me share my enthusiasm for haiku, and even caught the fever from me.

I do not believe that a poem has to be accepted by leading haiku journals or publications, to be valuable or successful. But, a little validation from a respected editor can still brighten the day of all us aspiring haikai writers. I hope at least a few of the poems in my “published oeuvre” win your approval, too.

The greedy little punditry devil made me add this Notice, paraphrasing my anonymous blawgger buddy Baby Barista: “Any haiku publisher wishing to make dagosan an offer he cannot refuse should contact him by email or using the Comment box below.”

February 8, 2008

rats! unmasking an anonymouse blawg maven

Filed under: Haiku or Senryu,lawyer news or ethics,q.s. quickies — David Giacalone @ 8:39 pm

Happy Lunar New Year! It is, of course, the Year of the Rat. While Westerners tend to have a rather negative image of the poor, misunderstood rodent, in Chinese culture the Rat is the symbol of hope, cleverness and illumination. And, according to the Las Vegas Sun, Chinese New Year brings the “second-biggest gaming weekend of the year.”

hidden in shadows
a laughing mouse…
New Year’s inventory

the kettle’s lid
rattle, rattle…
New Year’s herbs

bedtime sake–
whether the new year comes
or not

………………………. by Kobayashi Issa, translated by David G. Lanoue

As Paul Noll reminds us, “People born in the Zodiac Year of the Rat [2008 and 12-year intervals] are noted for their charm and attraction for the opposite sex. They work hard to achieve their goals, acquire possessions, and are likely to be perfectionists. They are basically thrifty with money. Rat people are easily angered and love to gossip. Their ambitions are big, and they are usually very successful.” If you’re born in a Year of the Rat:

You are imaginative.
You are generous.
You can be quick tempered.
You will be happy as a writer, critic or publicist.

. [“Rat Pack”/LV Sun] Except for the “quick tempered” facet, this description of “Ratters,” reminded me quite a bit of the person I was having a long lunch with yesterday, while ringing in the Lunar New Year in downtown Schenectady, NY, a couple blocks from the landmark GE Sign. However, although he did order a cheese omelette, I can not confirm whether my pleasant luncheon companion is, indeed, a zodiac Rat. You see, he’s the infamously anonymous “Ed,” editor of Blawg Review. And, although he made a special stop in Schenectady — coming by Amtrak from LegalTech NY 2008 in Manhattan and heading to Buffalo to meet with clients — the mysterious Ed would not reveal his true identity.

sprinkled in
with the new year’s rain…
flitting snow

………………………. by Kobayashi Issa, translated by David G. Lanoue

Naturally, I was truly honored that the man who gave f/k/a the Blawg Review “Creative Law Blog Award” in 2005, placed us on his ten-best blawg list last year, and has been our best long-distant proofreader and cheerleader for three years, made a stop in our humble little city, just to meet me. But, let’s be frank (in addition to the initial letdown when I realized Ed was not in fact Anne Reed of Deliberations weblog): I’m both disappointed and irked that Mr. Editor didn’t take me into his confidence and reveal his true identity. As I told Ed, “You’re the first pseudonymous lunch companion I’ve ever had.” And, let’s hope, the last.

PhantomMask Although I understand how this Anonymity Thing started, and can sympathize with the almost-captive nature of the Anonymous Editor Mystique, I believe I owe it to readers and bloggers across the blawgiverse to help unmask the man behind the unseemly secrecy shtick. In addition to this Law.com headline: “EDD uncertainty looms over LegalTech,” the frustration of weblogging lawyers who encountered Ed at LegalTech NY this week can be seen in posts by Robert Ambrogi at Lawsites (“Sighted: Anonymous Blawg Review Editor,” Feb. 7, 2008) ; Eric Turkewitz at New York Personal Injury Law Blog; (“Anonymous Blawg Review Editor Spotted at ALM’s LegalTech Trade Show,” Feb. 6, 2008); and John Bringardner at LegalBlog Watch (“LTNY 2008: Anonymous Blawger Sighting“, Feb. 7, 2008).

for drinking buddies
the usual New Year’s pilgrimage…
sake shop

the cat steals
a New Year’s nap…
sitting room

……………………………….. by Kobayashi Issa, translated by David G. Lanoue

Eric (here) and Bob (there, see the figure in black, in profile, on the far left) each tried to photograph “Ed,” but were foiled, with disappointing results. Therefore, although I was too cowed and polite yesterday to whip out my Canon PowerShot and steal Ed’s soul, I decided this morning that I had to help identify this self-proclaimed Mummer Blawgger. Despite doing a little bit too much Year of the Rat revelry last night, I sat down with a retired police sketch artist and worked for hours to reproduce the likeness of the man who sat across from me for so many hours yesterday. To the best of our ability, we came up with what I believe is a striking likeness:

“Ed Post,”Blawg Review ‘s Anonymous Editor

Because the complete drawing depicts a dramatization of a felonious action that is a bit spotty in my memory, and may not have occurred exactly as shown, I’m only including a mug shot of “Ed Post” in this posting. Our hope, of course, is that someone out there will be able to make — perhaps aided by the profile and chin shots taken by Bob and Eric, and some high-tech facial recognition software — a definitive identification of the man known in the blawgisphere as Ed of Blawg Review (f/k/a Ed Post).  Please let us know, if you can help in our effort. Anonymous comments shall, however, be ignored.

into the snake’s hole
oh foolish
mouse

………………. by Kobayashi Issa, translated by David G. Lanoue

mistaken for a mime –
the vampire bites
and blogs about it

……………………. by dagosan

loft cleaning —
the mouse nest in a gift
from amsterdam

………. by matt morden – Morden Haiku –

February 5, 2008

imagining Schenectady with no GE Sign

Filed under: Haiku or Senryu,q.s. quickies,Schenectady Synecdoche — David Giacalone @ 5:43 pm

It can now be revealed: My “three magi” poem in our “Holiday Haiku from Schenectady” collection was referring to the arrival of three haiku poets in Schenectady from distant points of origin, and was inspired by the venerable (not venerated) General Electric sign, which has long been a major symbol and icon for Schenectady, the birthplace of GE. As the Schenectady Gazette recently noted, the sign was erected in 1926 and placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1975. “The company uses 1,399 bulbs to illuminate the 10-foot letters and the huge GE logo, which is 36 feet in diameter. The entire sign stretches 168 feet along the top of Building 37.”

At night, I can see the GE sign from my back yard along the Mohawk River.  It’s been on my mind the past few days, however, due to an article in last Saturday’s Gazette. Titled “Rule nearly brings down GE icon: Schenectady plan calls for removing ‘free-standing’ signs” (by Kathleen Moore, February 2, 2008), the article begins:

“A new rule intended to clean up the city’s streetscapes almost had the unintended consequence of eliminating the historic General Electric sign.

“The brightly lighted landmark nearly fell afoul of a new rule included in the proposed new comprehensive plan, which states that all illegal signs must be removed by 2010.

“The goal is to accelerate the city’s long effort to get rid of billboard-style signs in front of businesses. The problem is that General Electric’s 82-year-old sign is just as illegal as the oversized signs that have been more recently installed in front of other businesses.”

The Gazette [see its photo] says the city’s zoning and planning moguls were stumped when they first realized that their proposed comprehensive plan would require tearing down a beloved local landmark. You see, in addition to its excessive size, the GE Sign sits on a roof and, according to Zoning Officer Steve Strichman, “Rooftop signs are simply not allowed in Schenectady.”  Moreover, Strichman aims to rid Schenectady’s streets of highway-oriented signs that are “out of pedestrian scale.”

Therefore, despite really wanting to eliminate non-conforming rooftop signs over the next two years, the planning board decided on a rule that merely mandates “all illegal ‘free-standing’ signs be corrected by 2010.”

can’t quite get over
the high rooftop…
firefly

deep snow–
on the signpost
a crow caws

……………………. Kobayashi Issa, translated by David G. Lanoue

I’m really glad our civic leaders want to save this famous sign, which adds a lot to our rather minimalist urban skyline. But, as has often happened in my two decades as a resident of Schenectady, I’m scratching my head over the apparently inept (and often inapt) lawyering that goes into our law-making.   It seems to me that even a second year law school student, taking Zoning 101, could have come up with a quick fix for Schenectady’s comprehensive plan that would both 1) save a protected historic landmark that is situated on an enormous tract of land, in a (very non-residential) heavy industrial zone, and set far back from a broad one-way thoroughfare (with no neighbors across the street), and also 2) provide that nonconforming rooftop signs in or near residential and mixed-use zones, or along our narrow city streets be removed in the next two years.

show me yours.
you first.
barn roof creaks

……………..…. by Randy Brooks – from School’s Out (Press Here, 1999)

Of course, I first learned thirty years ago (when even Washington Post legal-beat reporters kept mis-stating the facts and law in cases I worked on at the Federal Trade Commission), that newspapers can get things wrong when describing laws and the details of lawmaking.   So, I’d be most pleased to have a more flattering account of what went into the efforts to salvage the future of the GE Sign.  Since I can’t image Schenectady’s skyline without it, I’m pleased indeed that this catastrophe, or the customary embarrassment around this town when inadvertent regulatory missteps are noticed too late, was avoided.

through a hole
in the fog billboard girl’s
radiant face

……………………………. by George Swede
from Almost Unseen (Brooks Books, 2000)

city lights –
the brightest are all
selling something

snowing hard
no road sign
to obey

………… . . by John Stevenson, Upstate Dim Sum

rooftop garden
she collects the rain
in saucepans

………………………. by Tom Painting – 2nd Place, July 2006 Shiki Monthly Kukai-Kigo

January 11, 2008

called home late: BBS strikes again

Filed under: Book Reviews,Haiku or Senryu,q.s. quickies — David Giacalone @ 1:15 pm

As often happens, real news had a somewhat sobering effect on what started out as a typically irreverent-flippant posting here yesterday at f/k/a. about my increasingly faulty memory. See “Sufferers of Early Onset Alzheimer’s Describe Life with the Disease” (PBS NewsHour, Jan. 10, 2008), and the related NewsHour Insider Forum“Early Onset Alzheimer’s Patients Take Your Questions on Disease” (Jan. 10, 2008). For more information on the October 2007 Early Memory Loss Forum, go here and here. Also of interest (and concern) “Alzheimer’s Has an Effect on Kids, Too: Visits With Ill Relatives Are Sad but Important” (Washington Post, Jan. 8, 2008); “Dementia in More Educated Hits Later But Harder: More schooling delayed disease onset, but decline was more rapid afterward, study finds” (Health Day, October 23, 2007); and check out the Alzheimer’s Association’s Maintain Your Brain page for suggestions and information on keeping mental acuity.

My hopes and empathetic concern go out to all those truly suffering from the serious condition of Early-onset Alzheimer’s and Early Memory Loss, and to their families. Watching my father’s dementia the past few years has been a sad experience. A bemused sense of humor and horror is still about all I can manage for my own situation.

Boomer Braino Syndrome [“BBS”] is not something I’ll ever get used to — despite having experienced, joked, fretted and pontificated about it for several years (see, e.g., our first piece on “peridemenita” and our graying of the bar opus). A few days ago, it dawned on me that I had somehow totally overlooked the wonderful little book called home, by our Honored Guest poet paul m., in our cyber-Monday list of recommended holiday gifts, on November 29, 2007.

fog on the bridge
this small truck
for all our belongings

… by paul m. from called home (Red Moon Press 2006) CalledHomePaulM

We featured five poems from Called Home last May, when we introduced the book, and five more in August, when reporting that Paul’s volume of haiku and senryu received the Third Place prize in the Haiku Society of America’s Merit Book Awards for 2007 (for books published in 2006). It has more than one hundred poems and will surely help you or a loved one get through that inevitable post-holiday slump. You can click on the link above or write to Red Moon Press, P.O. Box 2461 Winchester, Virginia 22604-1661, for a copy of called moon, which is available in the USA for $12.00.

I can think of no better way to cap off the holiday season, and welcome the New Year, than sharing five more poems by Paul M. from his fine called home collection. Of course, I apologize heartily to Paul and all our readers for yet another cruel example of BBS-generated agita.

weights reset CalledHomePaulM
in the grandfather clock
morning snow

moving the cow
closer to baby Jesus
yesterday’s snow

the tree still draws water
a calendar
declaring a new year

mid-morning
and the snow is melting . . .
her thinness

snow outside
everyone else rises
to receive the host

winter light
flour, sugar, and the canister
that held dog biscuits

CalledHomePaulM … by paul m. from called home (Red Moon Press 2006)

Meanwhile, I have been unexpectedly and prematurely called home today, to mourn and celebrate the life of a man I loved very much. See “dad inspired some haiku.”

that little grunt
dad always made–
putting on my socks

………………………….. dagosan; photo by Nick DiTucci

frogpond (XXVIII: 2, 2005); inside the mirror: The Red Moon Anthology 2005

January 8, 2008

the long and short of lawyer films

Filed under: q.s. quickies — David Giacalone @ 7:16 pm

On a sunny day when Spamalot comes to Schenectady (see Gazette photo), along with record-high temperatures, the f/k/a Gang seems especially frantic to get me to step foot outside and avoid this weblog. You’d think that would be easy, now that we’ve sworn off writing about legal ethics (and successfully overcame the temptation to join in the current blawgisphere discussion of billable hours and the status of lawyers in our society). But, alas, nothing ever seems easy or uncomplicated around here.

the morning after –
she says hindsight
is 20/40

……………………………….. dagosan

For example, an email came yesterday from Lisa Solomon, of the humor-vending Billable Hour Company, asking whether writing about a lawyer-ethics video clip [to wit, “Ethical Dropout” at BHC’s new The Video Venue] constitutes prohibited punditry these days at f/k/a. That got me thinking way too hard about politesse, parsing, punchlines, and similar p-words. It also reminded me how much I actually enjoyed, prior to getting broadband access a few months ago, being able to tell friends, “I only have a dial-up modem, so I can’t go to YouTube to marvel at your new fave video.”

Since we watched the whole thing, here is our painfully-honest, mini-review of the 5-minute TVV video “Ethical Dropout“: Didn’t laugh, lust, or learn any legal ethics.

Eventually, I decided that “pointing ain’t punditry” and I remembered — especially after reading about the up-coming truncated version of the Golden Globes — that I’ve been meaning to tell our readers about some interesting sources and resources on “lawyer films.”

Fictional lawyer “Michael Clayton” confronts many ethical issues and personal crises in the critically-acclaimed eponymous film, which is likely to be a big winner at awards shows this year (see Wikipedia for awards, and nominations; and find critic reviews)

So, without undue explanation, explication, nor exegesis, here are some links for lovers and critics of lawyers on film:

highway patrolman –
his leather jacket squeaks
taking the stand
………………………………………………. by barry george

LPOP — The Lawyer and Popular Culture Collection, housed at the U. Texas Tarlton Law Library, brings together information and materials on how the profession is portrayed in the our modern culture. As part of its collection, LPOP owns over 700 featured films and tv series about lawyers — from Abe Lincoln in Illinois (1940) to Zoot Suit (1981). Click for its alphabetical list. The website also republishes scholarly work such as “Reading/Teaching Lawyer Films,” by Prof. Prof. James R. Elkins (see our prior post on his Legal Studies Forum), Vermont Law Review, Volume 28, Number 4 (2004).

summer day
a seat in the movies
away from others

…………………….. by John Stevenson – Upstate Dim Sum (2004/II)

If you’re serious about the genre of lawyer films, and the discipline/past-time of legal film criticism, you will want to read the Winter 2007 edition of the Loyola of Los Angeles Law Review, which presents the “Symposium: Access to Justice: Law and Popular Culture“( Vol. 40, No. 2, 2007). You’ll find a summary of the symposium submissions in an Introduction by Prof. John T. Nockleby (at 539). The table of contents contains links to articles such as:

  • TRUTH TALES AND TRIAL FILMS, by Jessica Silbey, at 551
  • WE LOST IT AT THE MOVIES: THE RULE OF LAW GOES FROM WASHINGTON TO HOLLYWOOD AND BACK AGAIN, by Susan Bandes, at 621
  • POPULAR CULTURE AND THE ADVERSARY SYSTEM, by Michael Asimow, at 653
  • SUPER SIZE ME AND THE CONUNDRUM OF RACE/ETHNICITY, GENDER, AND CLASS FOR THE CONTEMPORARY LAW-GENRE DOCUMENTARY FILMMAKER, by Regina Austin, at 687
  • A MANIFESTO FOR VISUAL LEGAL REALISM, by Richard K. Sherwin, at 719
  • POPULAR CULTURE, LEGAL FILMS, AND LEGAL FILM CRITICS, by James R. Elkins, at 745

Prof. Elkins has taught a course on “Lawyers and Film” for many years at U. West Virginia law school. In the course he asks some important questions:

  • What can we learn about ourselves as lawyers from watching lawyer films?
  • If we are to learn something about ourselves as lawyers from films, what elements of the films–story, narrative, drama, plot, character portrayal, lawyer rhetoric, mythology, visual presentation, criticism–are of particular interest to us as lawyers?
  • How are the ideals associated with a life in law portrayed in film? What critical views and interpretations of law, lawyers, and lawyering are presented in film?
  • How are we to “read” the social, political, and cultural messages we associate with lawyer films?

In his symposium article, Elkins challenges the “reality critique”— the supposition by some legal scholars that law as portrayed on screen inaccurately represents law, lawyers, or the “legal system.” He also claims that “we know far less about the effects of popular culture on law and lawyering than we would like to think we do.”

Although I’m admitting sloth and avoiding commentary these days, I’d like to hear what blawggers — such as Anne Reed at Deliberations, Dan Solove at Law & Humanities Blog and Concurring Opinions, Anne Skove at Court-o-Rama, and Scott G-r-e-e-n-f-i-e-l-d of Simple Justice — have to say about some of the issues raised by Jim Elkins:

• Are jurors “influenced” by popular culture representations
of law and lawyers?
• Do lawyers and judges think that jurors are being influenced
by popular culture representations?
• How does the influence of popular culture representations
change the legal system?

update (Jan. 10, 2008):  Scott G. at Simple Justice has reacted to our plea above with a little punt and promise of his own.  And, Anne Skove at Court-o-rama bit at our bait with inciteful, entertaining insights “as seen on TV” (Jan. 10, 2008) that you don’t want to miss.

TVV: JDTube — Finally, I want to point you all to The Video Venue, brought to you by The Billable Hour Co. As Lisa Solomon has explained, “TVV features video clips by, for, and about lawyers, law students, and legal professionals.” Indeed, it “aggregates funny law-related videos from various web video sites (including YouTube, Revver and Google Video, among others). Videos are grouped into playlists organized by topic (such as law school, jury duty, court reporters and paralegals), practice area (such as contracts, torts and criminal law) and type of video (such as music, movie clips and commercials).” Site visitors can also create their own playlists to personalize their viewing experience, and upload their own videos (subject to review for appropriateness and quality by the site owner).

To help launch the new site, they’ve got a contest, with the winner of a $50 Billable Hour Company gift certificate to be chosen at random: “The Video Venue, a new niche video website featuring humorous law-related videos, is hosting a contest to name the funniest law-related video on the web. Contestants can enter by visiting www.video.thebillablehour.com and posting a video, or reviewing, commenting or tagging any video already on the site, which aggregates funny law-related videos from various web sites, and also allows visitors to upload their own videos.

As you know, we’re curmudgeons around here, who’ve probably never called anything “hilarious” nor promised our readers lots of yuks. We don’t spend time browsing at humor sites, or clicking randomly on video clips. So, we’re not going to rate The Video Venue. We’ve told you enough to decide whether you want to check it out. If you find TVV worthwhile, please let us know.

Warning & Disclaimer: BHC’s Mark Solomon notes that “So many of the law-related videos on sites like YouTube just bash lawyers.” He then observes that “lawyers and legal professionals appreciate content . . . and products . . . that find humor in the law without attacking lawyers. That’s what TVV is all about.”

wind-beaten marque
saying only
“Coming Soon”

matinee
the summer sun
under the exit door

…………. by John Stevenson
“wind-beaten marquee” – Some of the Silence (1999)
“matinee” – Quiet Enough (Red Moon Press, 2004)

p.s. For more on lawyer films, see our discussion of the “Court TV’s 15 Most Memorable Movie Lawyers” (Hollywood Heat, by Daniel Green, May 12, 2005.)

Elvis’ birthday —
Little Sister sneaks out
to the cineplex

……………………… dagosan [Happy Anniversary to Ed and Laurice Markowski! Click for Elvis Presley doing “Little Sister” at YouTube.com]

drive in movie…
opening our eyes
during the love scene

……………………………………………….. ed markowski

January 6, 2008

another winner from Legal Studies Forum

Filed under: Haiku or Senryu,q.s. quickies — David Giacalone @ 1:37 pm

Thanks to the New York Times, you don’t need f/k/a to tell you this morning about dissatisfaction and malaise within the legal profession. See “The Falling-Down Professions,” by Alex Williams (Jan. 6, 2008), for a discussion of the reduced prestige and status of lawyers (and doctors, too), which states:

“In a culture that prizes risk and outsize reward — where professional heroes are college dropouts with billion-dollar Web sites — some doctors and lawyers feel they have slipped a notch in social status, drifting toward the safe-and-staid realm of dentists and accountants. It’s not just because the professions have changed, but also because the standards of what makes a prestigious career have changed.”

That lets me focus instead, with alacrity, on The Legal Studies Forum. (For out last word on the ailing lawyer psyche, see “now that’s depressing,” Dec. 17, 2007)

morning shadows—
the gunslingers wait
for high noon

…………………….. David Giacalone, Legal Studies Forum (Vol. XXXII, No. 1. 2008). Click for original at HaigaOnline, photo by Arthur Giacalone, JD.

We’ve been singing the praises of the Legal Studies Forum for almost four years. As LSF tells us, it was “established by the American Legal Studies Association to promote humanistic, critical, trans-disciplinary legal studies.” At the core of LSF, you will find its Editor, Prof. James R. Elkins, of the West Virginia University’s College of Law, who has done more than any academic or practitioner to remind the world of the connection between lawyers and poetry, first with his groundbreaking, comprehensive website project Stangers to Us All, and then through the vehicle of the Legal Studies Forum. It was the poetry connection that brought f/k/a to the attention of Jim Elkins and vice-versa.

low gray sky —
an afghan warming
on the radiator

……………………………….. david giacalone – Legal Studies Forum Vol. XXX (2006); The Heron’s Nest (VIII: 2, June 2006)

“Off the Record,” Vol. 28 of the Legal Studies Forum (2004) was the milestone 700-page anthology of poetry by sixty-six currently-active lawyer-poets. As we said when it was first published, Off the Record is “not filled with poetry about law, lawyers, and the legal world,” but instead contains poetry by poets who happen to have been educated and trained as lawyers. The twenty-page Introduction by Prof. Elkins is a strong reminder that there is nothing inconsistent about the lawyer and the poet coming together in one man or woman. It’s also a rousing argument that every school of law must nurture a practice of law that is enfused with “the poet’s sensibilities, awareness, introspection, and care for the things and the particulars of the world.”

blue sky
behind bare branches
year-end bonus

storm alert
every kind of cloud
in one sky

………………………….. David A. Giacalone – Legal Studies Forum XXIX:1 (2005)

“Intelligible Hues,” Legal Studies Forum Vol. 29 No. 1 (2005), presented about 300 pages of poetry by people with law degrees, along with interviews and essays about lawyers and poetry (see our posting, May 6, 2005).

harvest moon
the long pull
of faraway children

quiet rain
the deeper quiet
of uncut roses

…………………… roberta beary – Legal Studies Forum XXX (2006)

“harvest moon” – The Heron’s Nest
“quiet rain” – Paperclips (Press Here 2001)

“Lawyers & Poets,” Legal Studies Forum Vol. 30 (2006; cover), came out in early 2006 and has over 500 pages of poetry from more than sixty living poets (see our posting from March 2006).

alone at sunset
i pick a pair
of faded daylilies

summer solstice
the insomniac
waits for dawn

before
the morning rush—
the whiteness of last night’s snow

…………………….. david giacalone – Legal Studies Forum (Vol. XXXII, No. 1. 2008)

With “A Day’s Work Done,” Legal Studies Forum Vol. 32 (No. 1, January 2008), Prof. Elkins continues to promote lawyer-created poetry (plus short stories and essays), with another winning collection, that contains more than 300 pages of poems by JDs. In addition to generously presenting a few of my own poems (reproduced above), “A Day’s Work Done,” again features the work of our much-honored friend, Washington-DC attorney-poet Roberta Beary. Along with two of her haiku, LSF 32 presents a ku-less version of After Work, which was originally published in Simply Haiku as haibun, but is reborn in LSF as free verse. Volume 32 also has haiku and other poetry by Indian Law expert and appellate judge Frank Pommersheim, and several haiku from Jay Bryan, who has been instrumental in promoting poetry in his home town of Carrboro, North Carolina, and whose professional experience [“an attorney, mediator and guardian ad litem specializing in family and juvenile law”] sounds a lot like the second half of my legal career.

just enough moon
for this firefly to land
on my finger

…………………………. by roberta beary, LSF Vol. 32 (2008),
orig. pub. Jiyu-Katari (Free Talking; Ito En Ltd. 2007)

I’m pleased to remind our readers again that the poetry collections published in prior editions of Legal Studies Forum have been reproduced online at the U. Texas Tarlton Law Library’s E-text pages (and can be reached using the various hyperlinks above). But, the Dedication in Volume 32 of LSF by Prof. Elkins, to trial lawyer Hardy Parkerson, of Lake Shore, Louisiana, in gratitude for his continued extraordinary financial contributions to Legal Studies Forum, is a very good reminder that this unique publication needs and deserves the support of subscribers who honor and appreciate its mission.

  The Legal Studies Forum (ISSN: 0894-5993) publishes two issues a year, with occasional supplements. Its editorial and business offices are at College of Law, West Virginia University, Morgantown, WV 26506-6130. You can Contact Professor Elkins directly to subscribe to Legal Studies Forum.

As we’ve pointed out before, Prof. Elkins puts it so well: “If we think literature matters, . . . then the best education of a lawyer remains an education in skills practiced as an art, an occupational poetics of the real.” The pundit in me wants to ponder the state of our profession, as discussed in this morning’s NYT. The person-poet in me, is going to head outside to see whether any new snowmen appeared on my block since I checked late last night.

justice center –
even the courtroom Bible
has a number

eyeing his wrinkled shirt
from the night in question –
the defendant

tagging along
with an ice cream cone
the senior partner

……………………………….. by Barry George, JD

January 4, 2008

we focus on Mainichi Haiku (and not my Main Man’s Iowa Coup)

Filed under: Haiku or Senryu,q.s. quickies — David Giacalone @ 11:56 am

The f/k/a Gang is presented this morning with our first real test since swearing off political punditry on Christmas Eve 2007. As Judgment Junkies trying to control our Advice Addiction, we’re directly faced with an all-important question:

Did we bite off more than we can eschew, when promising to end all commentary on politics and legal ethics at this weblog?

After Barack Obama’s victory last night in the Iowa caucuses [see the Senator’s Victory Speech (Jan. 3, 2007), and David Brooks’ column “Two Earthquakes” (New York Times, Jan. 4, 2007)], we are tempted indeed to make distinctions between positive and negative punditry, or between reporting and commenting on the news. We confess to reviewing some of our prior coverage of Sen. Obama since his amazing speech to the 2004 Democratic Convention — “obama, o mama!” (July 27, 2007); like discussion of Obama on antitrust and immigration; and even our disappointing “inquiry to Obama on Tort Reform” (Aug. 4, 2004). And, we mused over his role in helping to create a Democratic morality and majority. But, we’ve never been able to have just one drink at the punditry bar, so I just put the cork back on that bottle of opine wine.

All we”re going to “say” about the historic political news last night out of Iowa, then, is a reprise of the rather inadequate (but enthusiastic) senryu poem we dashed off on July 27, 2007, after witnessing our first Barack Obama speech:

the skinny guy’s
a heavyweight –
they’re cheering for a lawyer!

……………………………………………..by dagosan, 07-27-04

Devoid of punditry, what the heck will the f/k/a Gang post about as we start the New Year? Good question. A heads-up a couple days ago from outside frozen Detroit by our friend Ed Markowski reminded me of a very good place to start 2008: the monthly selection of Haiku in English published in Japan by Mainichi Daily News. Around the first of each month, you’ll find over a dozen previously published haiku — many of them very fine — from around the world at the Mainichi site. Most months, one or more the selected poems will be by members of our f/k/a family of Honored Guests Poets.

I ‘m not big on New Year’s resolutions, but I am promising myself to visit the Mainichi haiku webpage early each month in 2008, to find poems worth sharing with our f/k/a readers. Here are haiku by our Honored Guests from the past few months:

– from January 2008 (No. 703)

spring flu —
a dream of swimming
up through new mud

………………………… by jim kacian

1 a.m.
the light in an office
on the 33rd floor

……………………………. by ed markowki

no verdict
the carpenter’s hand
melts windowfrost

………………………….. peggy willis lyles

from December 2007 (No. 702)

light of the half moon
I see my neighbors
are adding a room

…………………………………. john stevenson

snow covering things
we see every day —
the fortune left in the cookie

……………………………………………… gary hotham (From “Missed Appointment,” Modest Proposal Chapbooks, Pittsburgh, PA, USA)

from November 2007 (No. 701)

I start to judge
the haiku contest entries …
falling leaves

…….. George Swede

harbor sunset …
the ruby red
of a maguro filet

……………. ed markowski

from October 2007 (No. 700)

autumn dusk
a leaf falls into
the sound of grey

……………………….. laryalee fraser

from September 2007 (No. 699)

old friends —
pines from famous paintings
sway above the ruins

………………………… peggy willis lyles

January 1, 2008

into the new year one breath at a time

Filed under: Haiku or Senryu,q.s. quickies — David Giacalone @ 9:15 am

…………………………………………………. 

the silence of snow
falling in the salvage yard…
a new year begins

……………………………….. ed markowski

first-day flurries
last year’s snowbank
slowly whitens

…………………………………………….. dagosan

new year’s day
a squirrel emerges
from the dumpster

    ………………………………….. yu chang

New Year’s gift of tea–
where did you go
on your jouney back to me?

……………………………………………..  Kobyashi Issa, translated by David G. Lanoue

New Year’s Dawn
light first gathers
in the icicles

……………………  Jim Kacian – Presents of Mind (1996)

I rinse the rice
a second time
New Year’s Day

…………………. Peggy Lyles – To Hear the Rain (2002); Snapshot Haiku Calendar (2003)

new year’s fog
she washes
all the windows

……………………….. Pamela Miller Ness – Haiku Troubadours 2000

New Year’s Day–
bleaching work shirts
back to white

…………………….. Matt Morden  – The Heron’s Nest (2003)

the ball starts to fall
dad’s oxygen machine
loud as ever

……………………………… dagosan

– click for  more New Year’s haiku and senryu    –


 

December 26, 2007

a firefly under my tree

Filed under: Haiku or Senryu,q.s. quickies — David Giacalone @ 11:21 am

Don’t forget: Our holiday gifts to you: Two 12-page, printable 2008 calendars, the kitschy f/k/a Haiga Memories Calendar and the artsy Giacalone Haiga Calendar 2008, which feature a photo and linked poem for each month. Read more here.

Thanks to a thoughtful haijin friend, one present under dagosan’s Christmas Tree was “Lanterns: a firefly anthology” (Edited by Stanford M. Forrester, Bottle Rockets Press, 2007). Stan Forrester has collected 77 firefly haiku by “53 of the haiku community’s top poets” in this 5 x 6.5-inch perfectbound anthology.

I’ve always loved fireflies — whether it’s a lone male signalling for a mate in late spring, or a multitude creating a spectacular lightshow on a steamy August night — and have written quite a few haiku on the subject. Naturally, I was honored when Stan choose one of them for this collection.

cloud-covered night–
no moon, no fireflies,
no goodnight kiss

……………………… by david giacalone, Lanterns (2007)

As with all my haiku reading (as opposed to my ice cream consumption), I’m more likely to dip briefly into this lovely little book for a quick snack of firefly poems, rather than binge on the full buffet in one sitting. No matter how you approach it, though, there are bright delights to be found throughout Lanterns.

Nine of the 53 poets featured in Lanterns are f/k/a Honored Guest Poets: in alphabetical order, Roberta Beary, Randy Brooks, Yu Chang, Gary Hotham, Jim Kacian, Peggy Willis Lyles, Ed Markowski, Tom Painting, and George Swede. Here are the dozen poems that they contributed to this first-of-a-kind Firefly Anthology:

as far as the light goes —
my daughter goes
after the firefly

among the fireflies —
the children playing past
their bedtime

………………. Gary Hotham
“among the fireflies –” – Bare Feet
“as far as the light goes –” – Windchimes #26

firefly lifts off
from her open palm
another rain drop

……………….. Randy Brooks

dawn breeze —
it flickers, then goes out
the firefly

…………….. George Swede

lights out
. . . the firefly
inside

…………….. Peggy Willis Lyles
HSA Henderson Award 1980 Hon. Men.

memorial day
he turns his back
to the fireflies

late innings
the shortstop backpedals
into fireflies

………………… ed markowski
“late innings” – Baseball Haiku (2007)

on my finger
the firefly
puts out its light

so much silence
on a path
lit by fireflies

…………….. Roberta Beary
“on my finger” – Shiki Internet Kukai

broken lamp
through the briar bush
fireflies

………………. Yu Chang – from Reflections 2

paint flaking
from the porch rail
firefliess

…………. Tom Painting

closing my eyes —
a firefly
still there

……….. Jim Kacian

December 24, 2007

ebenezer had a point

Filed under: Haiku or Senryu,q.s. quickies — David Giacalone @ 8:20 pm

Tonight I might just be putting the Curmudge into Christmas, and the grin into grinchosan. If it’s going to happen in 2007, I’ve got only a few hours to finally get into the Christmas Spirit. Not even making elfin frolics, nor creating all those holiday haiku and give-away new-year calendars has done it yet.  Rather than struggle, I shall allow myself to wallow a bit more, and nurture the pre-visitation Scrooge inside every (thinking) person — you know, maybe only watch the first half of a couple Christmas Carol movies.

ScroogeStewart

A Christmas Carol (1999) (Patrick Stewart)

Christmas lights
my eye is drawn
to the house with none

………………………………………….. by Hilary Tann

Christmas eve-
the row of cut trees
no one took home

…….……………….. by Pamela Miller Ness

Scrooge (1970) (Albert Finney) ScroogeFinney

ready to assemble
another toy
hits the wall

——————– grinchosan

To get in the Scrooge mood, see Verlyn Klinkenborg’s musing in her The City Life column, called “ ‘Tis the Season” (New York Times, Dec. 24, 2007). VK reminds us that “the old Scrooge is as much a part of [Christmas] as the new one.” And, then ponder along with Sarah Kershaw, in “Enough of the Hills and Woods, Can I Send Grandma an E-Card?” (New York Times, Dec. 24, 2007)

first doubts
santa sounds
like Uncle Al

………………………. photo by Mama G. (larger haiga here)

no one here
to chop “gardunes” –
Christmas soup by Progresso

. . . dagosan

– check out Lio‘s self-help action vs. Santa.

victorian christmas
a trail of horse shit
down the main street

……………….. matt morden – from Morden Haiku

A Christmas Carol (1984) (George C. Scott) ScroogeScott

silent night, holy night
three
at the bar

……………….. by David G. Lanoue from the novel Haiku Guy

christmas evening
the goose she raised
all summer

christmas eve…
we yank two ton
from the # 4 mine

christmas…
there ain’t enough coal
to put in the stockings

………………. by ed markowski

Scrooged (1998) (Dan Murray) ScroogedMurray

Christmas pageant—
the one who had to get married
plays virgin Mary

another Christmas . . .
my parents visit
the son in prison

……………………….. by Lee Gurga from Fresh Scent (1998)

NoSantaGS One thing for sure, if I don’t get my butt off this desk chair and get my brain offline, I’ll be mighty grumpy when Santa gets here tonight. Hope you’ve got lots of Christmas spirit and have a joyous Eve and Christmas Day, however and why-ever you celebrate it.

Of course, I also hope you’ll be just as questioning and thoughtful as Linus was in 1968, when you’re asked whether you had “a good Christmas?”

  • Do you mean did I get a lot of presents? Or, do you mean did I give a lot of presents?
  • Are you referring to the weather or the Christmas Dinner we had? Do you mean was my Christmas good in a spiritual sense?
  • Do you mean was my Christmas good in that I saw new meaning in old things? Or do you mean . . . .

And, you better not just sigh, Charlie Brown.

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