Smiling at You ~ J. Skellington :)

And finally, everything worked out just fine.
Christmas was saved, though there wasn't much time.

But after that night, things were never the same—
Each holiday now knew the other ones' name.

And though that one Christmas things got out of hand,
I'm still rather fond of that skeleton man.

So many years later I thought I'd drop in,
and there was old Jack still looking quite thin,
with four or five skeleton children at hand
playing strange little tunes in their xylophone band.

And I asked old Jack, "Do you remember the night
when the sky was so dark and the moon shone so bright?
When a million small children pretending to sleep
nearly didn't have Christmas at all, so to speak?”

And would you, if you could, turn that mighty clock back
to that long, fateful night, now think carefully, Jack.

Would you do the whole thing all over again,
knowing what you know now, knowing what you knew then?"

And he smiled, like the old Pumpkin King that I knew,
then turned and asked softly of me, "Wouldn't you?"

STOPPING BY WOODS ON A SNOWY EVENING

Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening

Whose woods these are I think I know.

His house is in the village though;

He will not see me stopping here

To watch his woods fill up with snow.

My little horse must think it queer

To stop without a farmhouse near

Between the woods and frozen lake

The darkest evening of the year.

He gives his harness bells a shake

To ask if there is some mistake.

The only other sound's the sweep

Of easy wind and downy flake.

The woods are lovely, dark, and deep.

But I have promises to keep,

And miles to go before I sleep,

And miles to go before I sleep. 

~  by Robert Frost

NOW WINTER NIGHTS ENLARGE

Now Winter Nights Enlarge

Now winter nights enlarge

    This number of their hours;

And clouds their storms discharge

    Upon the airy towers.

Let now the chimneys blaze

    And cups o'erflow with wine,

Let well-tuned words amaze

    With harmony divine.

Now yellow waxen lights 

    Shall wait on honey love

While youthful revels, masques, and courtly sights 

    Sleep's leaden spells remove.

This time doth well dispense

    With lovers' long discourse;

Much speech hath some defense,

    Though beauty no remorse.

All do not all things well:

    Some measures comely tread,

Some knotted riddles tell,

    Some poems smoothly read.

The summer hath his joys,

    And winter his delights;

Though love and all his pleasures are but toys

    They shorten tedious nights.

~ Thomas Campion

Traveling in your land

Little by little I float away
deeper and deeper into memories bliss
as the sun sets, as the winds blows
as the day turns to night
I find myself adrift naturally.

It is by choice as much as destiny
that I find myself beneath the glow of stars
I was always here
and here is where I will always be
how strange these trips to land they are
It is time to return once again.

Strange...
left behind through choices made
unknowing and oblivious
they do not seem to care.
They feel the weight of their fate
and feel unable to change
they turn to dominion for comfort
and the mirror always answers in kind.

I am here once again
to explore with eyes of long ago
I have not lost them you see
I hold things precious close to me.

Oh hide from me what care I
speak not it is music to my mind
I see you clear as day anyway

like a speck of dust in the eye itching away.

JOURNEY'S END

Journey's End

In western lands beneath the Sun

The flowers may rise in Spring,

The trees may bud, the waters run,

The merry finches sing.

Or there maybe 'tis cloudless night,

And swaying branches bear

The Elven-stars as jewels white

Amid their branching hair.

Though here at journey's end I lie

In darkness buried deep,

Beyond all towers strong and high,

Beyond all mountains steep,

Above all shadows rides the Sun

And Stars for ever dwell:

I will not say the Day is done,

Nor bid the Stars farewell.

~ J. R. R. Tolkien

Is it True? Is a rose a rose by any other name?

Is it true? Do you suppose? Is it true?

As this moment too floats away into a memory

I wander ...and reflect

as a cloud might reflect on its purpose

its meaning

and this comes to mind.... 

" 'Tis but thy name that is my enemy; 

Thou art thyself, 

though not a Montague.

What's Montague? 

it is nor hand, nor foot,

Nor arm, nor face, 

nor any other part

Belonging to a man. 

O, be some other name!

What's in a name? 

that which we call a rose

By any other name 

would smell as sweet;

So Romeo would, 

were he not Romeo call'd,

Retain that dear perfection 

which he owes

Without that title. 

Romeo, doff thy name,

And for that name 

which is no part of thee

Take all myself. "

~ Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet, 1600:

ONE STEP BACKWARD TAKEN

One Step Backward Taken

Not only sands and gravels

Were once more on their travels,

But gulping muddy gallons

Great boulders off their balance

Bumped heads together dully

And started down the gully.

Whole capes caked off in slices.

I felt my standpoint shaken

In the universal crisis.

But with one step backward taken

I saved myself from going.

A world torn loose went by me.

Then the rain stopped and the blowing,

And the sun came out to dry me.

~  Robert Frost

Don't You (Forget About Me)

Won't you come see about me?

I'll be alone, dancing you know it baby

Tell me your troubles and doubts

Giving me everything inside and out and

Love's strange so real in the dark

Think of the tender things that we were working on

Slow change may pull us apart

When the light gets into your heart, baby

Don't You Forget About Me

Don't Don't Don't Don't

Don't You Forget About Me...

Will you stand above me?

Look my way, never love me

Rain keeps falling, rain keeps falling

Down, down, down

Will you recognize me?

Call my name or walk on by?

Rain keeps falling, rain keeps falling

Down, down, down, down

Hey, hey, hey, hey

Don't you try to pretend

It's my feeling we'll win in the end

I won't harm you or touch your defenses

Vanity and Insecurity

Don't you forget about me

I'll be alone, dancing you know it baby

Going to take you apart

I'll put us back together at heart, baby

Don't You Forget About Me

Don't Don't Don't Don't

Don't You Forget About Me

but you walk on by

Will you call my name?

As you walk on by

Will you call my name?

When you walk away?

Or will you walk away?

Will you walk on by?

Come on - call my name

Will you call my name?

The telling of the story

All that we've ever known, 

all that we've ever seen, 

all that we've ever felt,

all that we've ever dreamed,

all of it

happened here

on this moment.

 And together we rode this wave,

across deserts of infinity, 

and vast oceans of light and dark,

and

on this rock, 

at this time,

on this place,

we were here 

together.

CHARLIE BROWN ~ Cold Play

"Charlie Brown"

Stole a key,

Took a car downtown where the lost boys meet,

Took a car downtown and took what they offered me.

To set me free,

I saw the lights go down at the end of the scene,

I saw the lights go down and they're standing in front of me.

And my scarecrow dreams,

When they smashed my heart into smithereens,

Be a bright red rose come bursting the concrete.

Be a cartoon heart,

Light a fire, a fire, a spark

Light a fire, a flame in my heart.

We'll run wild,

We'll be glowing in the dark.

We'll be glowing in the dark.

All the boys, all the girls,

All that matters in the world

All the boys, all the girls,

All the madness that occurs.

All the highs, all the lows,

As the room is spinning goes

We'll run riot,

We'll be glowing in the dark.

Wooh, ooh ooh ooh

So we soar luminous and wired

We'll be glowing in the dark.

~ By Coldplay

To the child possessed of endless determination and hope, but who is ultimately dominated by his insecurities and a "permanent case of bad luck"

THE RAINBOW CONNECTION

Why are there so many 

songs about rainbows

and what's on the other side?

Rainbows are visions, 

but only illusions,

and rainbows have nothing to hide.

So we've been told and some choose to believe it.

I know they're wrong, wait and see.

Someday we'll find it, 

the rainbow connection.

The lovers, the dreamers and me.

Who said that every wish 

would be heard 

and answered 

when wished on the morning star?

Somebody thought of that

and someone believed it.

Look what it's done so far.

What's so amazing that keeps us star gazing

and what do we think we might see?

Someday we'll find it, 

the rainbow connection.

The lovers, the dreamers and me.

All of us under its spell.

We know that it's probably magic.

Have you been half asleep

and have you heard voices?
I've heard them calling my name.

Is this the sweet sound

that called the young sailors?

The voice might be one and the same.

I've heard it too many times to ignore it.

It's something that I'm supposed to be.

Someday we'll find it, 

the rainbow connection.

The lovers, the dreamers and me.

A brief status report from a hot garden..

It's Saturday in Texas! It's very warm with brilliant blue skies and distinct puffy white and dark clouds promising rain as they float on by. Mother nature has been generous with water this month and I am so grateful.

I feel the vibrancy of life around me and so dutifully I begin planning my tasks, chores, and errands. It is the day I fix things and hold on to everything I know and keep it from unraveling but that's just maintenance. That is what I do... fix things, build, and keep their form unique as we move through the winds of time.

Today I will dig and make way for new life. I will sweep the paths and I will tend to the weak and needy but there is more.

I look at myself as I do daily and tell myself I want to be more, I want to be better than I've been before. Perhaps tomorrow a newer me will emerge having discovered something wondrous today that I'm unaware of and wouldn't expect. 

I am INTJ and we improve every single day or fall attempting it at the edge of day.

I move now.....

The clouds are coming...

Dreams are my inspiration, 

they are my shining visions 

but I do not live in dreams... 

I live here and now. 

I work hard to manifest my dreams 

but they are not free, 

there is a cost. 

Perhaps they will manifest, 

perhaps they will remain dreams 

but I wont spend my day wishing 

when I should be working,  

I wont pray alone when I should be planning 

and I wont inhabit my dreams with angels, 

they will be populated with people. 

In time, I will learn patience 

and I will learn humility.

I SIT AND THINK

I sit beside the fire and think 

Of all that I have seen

Of meadow flowers and butterflies

In summers that have been

Of yellow leaves and gossamer

In autumns that there were

With morning mist and silver sun

And wind upon my hair

I sit beside the fire and think

Of how the world will be

When winter comes without a spring 

That I shall ever see

For still there are so many things

That I have never seen

In every wood in every spring

There is a different green

I sit beside the fire and think

Of people long ago

And people that will see a world

That I shall never know

But all the while I sit and think

Of times there were before

I listen for returning feet 

And voices at the door

~ J R R Tolkien

THE GARDENER

The Gardener

The gardener does not love to talk.

He makes me keep the gravel walk;

And when he puts his tools away,

He locks the door and takes the key.

Away behind the currant row,

Where no one else but cook may go,

Far in the plots, I see him dig,

Old and serious, brown and big.

He digs the flowers, green, red, and blue,

Nor wishes to be spoken to.

He digs the flowers and cuts the hay,

And never seems to want to play.

Silly gardener! summer goes,

And winter comes with pinching toes,

When in the garden bare and brown

You must lay your barrow down.

Well now, and while the summer stays,

To profit by these garden days

O how much wiser you would be

To play at Indian wars with me!

~ Robert Louis Stevenson

Worry....Not

Worry is so much like a disease... 

a repeating loop of a broken thought ... 

It is a whisper that doesn't live in the here and now.... unfocused on solutions, or creativity or imagination.

It doesn't make plans, it doesn't seek light. 

It is a self inflicted nightmare that feeds on its wounded self. 

It is incorrectly given legitimacy, attention, and often confused with caring but it is the scent of demise... a bleeding soul.. Illness of will... a woeful fog that cannot produce anything other than misery. 

Worst of all... is it contagious....

ALL THE WORLD'S A STAGE

All the world's a stage,

And all the men and women merely players;

They have their exits and their entrances,

And one man in his time plays many parts,

His acts being seven ages. 

At first, the infant,

Mewling and puking in the nurse's arms.

Then the whining schoolboy, with his satchel

And shining morning face, creeping like snail

Unwillingly to school. 

And then the lover,

Sighing like furnace, with a woeful ballad

Made to his mistress' eyebrow. 

Then a soldier,

Full of strange oaths and bearded like the pard,

Jealous in honor, sudden and quick in quarrel,

Seeking the bubble reputation

Even in the cannon's mouth. 

And then the justice,

In fair round belly with good capon lined,

With eyes severe and beard of formal cut,

Full of wise saws and modern instances;

And so he plays his part. 

The sixth age shifts

Into the lean and slippered pantaloon,

With spectacles on nose and pouch on side;

His youthful hose, well saved, a world too wide

For his shrunk shank, and his big manly voice,

Turning again toward childish treble, pipes

And whistles in his sound. 

Last scene of all,

That ends this strange eventful history,

Is second childishness and mere oblivion,

Sans teeth, sans eyes, sans taste, sans everything. 

~ William Shakespeare

Memories ...

MEMORY!! 

WooHOOO!!! I'm on Vacation!!!  Time to wander? Explore? Experience? Rest? Create? or simply...float down a stream? I'm happy..quietly happy.

The most wonderful part of it all is being able to REMEMBER each moment I had yesterday and the day before. 

It is a most regretful realization when after a moment in time.. a moment of freedom to wander ... I cannot recollect what happened during my time. Few things are worse than being free and having time pass by without you in it...without memory of it. 

Beauty is not just a moment and encounter... that comes and goes... it is the recollection of beauty itself that lives again and again within you ... it swirls and dances long after the moment has passed.  

Memory is the seed that becomes a forest of joy, and love... It is inspiration, laughter, smiles, longing, a dream we hold on to dearly... and then ... if we're lucky ... it transforms into motivation... to discover it again!

MAD MONSTER PARTY

A full moon

brings out the monster in you...

A strange tune seems to be playing for you.

Could you be someone's invention?

So unreal as you feel tonight?

Did you sell your soul to the devil 

at that monster party last night?

Mad Mad Mad Monster Party

Did you sell your soul to Mephistopheles?

Tell me baby ...tell me ...tell me please

If you made a date with the devil...not me

If you know my fate

Honey level ... with me.

A cold night

brings out the creature in you.

A strange light seems to be falling on you...

I know it's not your intention 

to frighten me so tonight

...or to tell me baby what happened 

at that monster party last night

Mad Mad Mad Monster Party

Last night....

~ Ethel Ennis 

One of the three may be defeated...

Oh the joy... could it be...  Such is the news of the possible demise of one the three "weird sisters". Such a plague they are to progress, community, innovation, belief, and faith... to name a few. 

Oh but you can't be rid of them permanently. They resurface here and there like roaches in the night, like rats in the sewers. Their wretched presence is a mist of decaying stench that lingers far after their physical manifestation has drifted from your vision. Though their features change their vile spewing easily recognizable, as the air becomes unnaturally thin and difficult to breathe, as the days extend unbearably long and difficult to live.  The malevolent influence spreads like a disease.


In William Shakespeare's play Macbeth (c.1603-1607). The "three witches" or "weird sisters" are characters serving as prophets who hail the general Macbeth early in the play with predictions of his rise as king. Upon committing regicide and taking the throne of Scotland, Macbeth hears the trio deliver ambiguous prophecies threatening his downfall. 

The witches' dark and contradictory natures, their "filthy" trappings and activities, as well as their dealings with the supernatural all set an ominous tone for the play.The three witches represent darkness, chaos, and conflict, while their role is as agents and witnesses. Their presence communicates treason and impending doom. 

During Shakespeare's day, witches were seen as worse than rebels, "the most notorious traitor and rebel that can be." They were not only political traitors, but also spiritual traitors as well. Much of the confusion that springs from them comes from their ability to straddle the play's borders between reality and the supernatural. They are so deeply entrenched in both worlds that it is unclear whether they control fate, or whether they are merely its agents. They defy logic, not being subject to the rules of the real world.


The witches' lines in the first act: "Fair is foul, and foul is fair: Hover through the fog and filthy air" are often said to set the tone for the remainder of the play by establishing a sense of moral confusion. Indeed, the play is filled with situations in which evil is depicted as good, while good is rendered evil. The line "Double, double toil and trouble," often sensationalized to a point that it loses meaning, communicates the witches' intent clearly: they seek only to increase trouble for the mortals around them.

INAMA NUSHIF

Inama nushif

Al ­asir hiy ayish

Lia-anni

Zaratha zarati

Hatt al-hudad

Al-maahn al-baiid

Ay-yah idare

Adamm malum

Hatt al-hudad

Al-maahn al-baiid

Ay-yah idare

Adamm malum

Inama nishuf al a sadarr

Eann zaratha zarati

Kali bakka a tishuf ahatt

Al hudad alman dali

Inama nishuf al a sadarr

Eann zaratha zarati

Kali bakka a tishuf ahatt

Al hudad alman dali alia

Inama nushif

Al ­asir hiy ayish

Lia-anni

Zaratha zarati

~ Lyrics Fremen Song

Sung by Azam Ali 

______________________________________________

She is eternal

No malice can touch

Singular and ageless

Perpetually bound

Through the tempest

be it deluge or sand

A singular voice

speaks through the torrent

Forever her voice sings

through the ages eternally bound

Sacrifice is her gift

one that cannot be equaled

Forever her voice sings

through the ages eternally bound

Sacrifice is her gift

that Alia will one day equal

She is eternal

No malice can touch

Singular and ageless

Perpetually bound

_________________________________________________

And Muad’Dib stood before them, and he said:

"Though we deem

the captive dead,

yet does she live.

For her seed is my seed

and her voice 

is my voice

and she sees unto the reaches

of possibility, the farthest.

yea unto the vale

of the unknowable

does she see because of me."

~ "Arrakis Awakening"