The Tollund Man

I

Some day I will go to Aarhus
To see his peat-brown head,
The mild pods of his eye-lids,
His pointed skin cap.

In the flat country near by
Where they dug him out,
His last gruel of winter seeds
Caked in his stomach

Naked except for
The cap, noose and girdle,
I will stand a long time.
Bridegroom to the goddess,

She tightened her torc on him
and opened her fen,
Those dark juices working
Him to a saint’s kept body,

Trove of the turfcutters’
Honeycombed workings.
Now his stained faces
Reposes at Aarhus.

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Journal Entry – 3.20.19

It is 5:30 AM on Wednesday March 30th, 2019.  We’ve got more rain and have had so much rain this year that California is out of drought.  Here in California is often seems that everyday is sunny and 65 so when we do get some weather it is a nice change.  It seems this winter though it has been nothing but rain but I cannot complain.  I like sitting in my shed working and listening to a good storm.  It is comforting in a way except when we get the very high winds which causes the eucalyptus trees to violently sway back and forth and I wonder if one will actually fall down.

This is a preview of Journal Entry – 3.20.19. Read the full post (1400 words, estimated 5:36 mins reading time)

Lapham’s Quarterly – Night

It took me a while to get through this issue of Lapham’s Quarterly but was able to do so right as the spring issue arrived.

I was looking forward to reading this issue as night is peaceful, one can reflect and it comes with its own special energy as William Least Moon captures in his quote below.  I was hoping for more content on the mysterious power of the night but happily surprised by others that I hadn’t thought of.  One of these is the importance of being able to look up at stars and the universe that aren’t drowned out by light pollution.  I for one have never seen the Milky Way.  I’ve lived in cities all of my life but one thing on the bucket list is to get to one of the darkest parts of the Earth and gaze up at the stars for a few hours.

This is a preview of Lapham’s Quarterly – Night. Read the full post (1716 words, estimated 6:52 mins reading time)

The Alchemist

I read the Alchemist for the first time around 1996, almost a decade after it was originally published.  Like many books I’ve read long ago I had forgotten most of it.  It was a chance encounter seeing it featured as a book to digitally borrow from my library app and I listened to it during a recent flight.  I had forgotten how profound the book is so decided to re-read it and highlight my favorite parts as add my thoughts.

This is a preview of The Alchemist. Read the full post (2673 words, 3 images, estimated 10:42 mins reading time)

Super Mario Bros. 2

Super Mario Bros. 2 was one of my favorite games when I was a kid.  I didn’t have a Nintendo because my best friend Ryan had a Sega and so that is the console I got.  But during the summer I would go over to my friend’s the Hanley’s and Billy and Kevin would let me play theirs for hours on end.  Super Mario Bros. 2 was the hottest game in our neighborhood but nobody could beat it until one day I did!

I was so proud of myself and nobody could believe it.  I didn’t even own a Nintendo!

This is a preview of Super Mario Bros. 2. Read the full post (555 words, 1 image, estimated 2:13 mins reading time)