tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15796194530379661642024-02-20T13:38:00.427-08:00The Thirsty MuseTapping the Keg of Feelings, Imagination and Inspiration.
Posts to this blog first appeared as poems and thoughts in The Poet and the Pendulum,@2001,Lee Neubert Lindeman,
Lighthouse Keeper Publishing, Cape Cod, MA.
That collection was originally intended to be a kind of memoir for my four sons and their families.
I've been surprised and grateful that some of my offerings have touched others.
That positive feedback encourages my staying around.Leanderthal, Lighthouse Keeperhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17398230668313436866noreply@blogger.comBlogger27125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1579619453037966164.post-49590375294545598192012-05-15T18:22:00.000-07:002012-05-15T18:22:03.375-07:00Is That All There Is?The cat in the lap knows a lot.<br />
<br />
Yes, and that's all that is needed.<br />
<br />
Says who?<br />
<br />
Says the cat.Leanderthal, Lighthouse Keeperhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17398230668313436866noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1579619453037966164.post-38836313134959036392008-06-20T15:01:00.000-07:002008-06-22T15:56:45.889-07:00What's Still True, Though Much Went WrongI'm leaving the content of this post blank intentionally, and ask that you consider its title and what it means to you.<br /><br />I would be pleased if you were to use the comments function at the bottom of the post to write what for you is still true, though much went wrong.<br /><br />Leanderthal, Lighthouse KeeperLeanderthal, Lighthouse Keeperhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17398230668313436866noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1579619453037966164.post-65082290864051830862008-04-18T16:50:00.000-07:002008-04-18T17:04:59.236-07:00On Expressing Feelings, or at Least ThanksWe need not be troubled by expressing our feelings,<br />So inherent to the human condition.<br />When used for good they have most ulnique powers;<br />Provide balance to thinking, an important addition.<br /><br />There's more to wisdom than critical thinking.<br />Consider how feelings can play a role.<br />So long as they're shared authentically,<br />They often contribute to healing the soul.<br /><br />We sometimes have need to exporess our love,<br />Though our words can be awkward and few;<br />Especially when we remember the past,<br />When feelings were raw, and little seemd true.<br /><br />Try "thanks" to those who helped us get through.<br />In most of our life times that group is quite small.<br />But they are the ones who never withdrew,<br />And were there for us to soften the fall.Leanderthal, Lighthouse Keeperhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17398230668313436866noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1579619453037966164.post-27720508271826979972008-03-26T15:57:00.000-07:002008-03-26T16:09:07.513-07:00Children of LossNo matter how much mates might suffer from loss<br />There often are others involved.<br />And when they're the children who helplessly watched<br />We soon learn that just one thing's resolved.<br /><br />When the loss which they suffer is parents divorce<br />Depression sets in straightaway.<br />And the day that the judge grants the final decree<br />Is the start of more hell to pay.<br /><br />No matter they know how the breach came about,<br />No matter what side they might take,<br />They did not sign up for the heart rending loss<br />Of their family, their lives, for God's sake.<br /><br />It can take many years for those deep wounds to heal,<br />And each one must do it alone.<br />It's crucial to know that and give them the time<br />To forgive, perhaps never condone.<br /><br />They might want connections with each of their parents;<br />Confused how to do that, move on.<br />Stay close to them, talk to them, write to them often,<br />Though knowing they might never respond.Leanderthal, Lighthouse Keeperhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17398230668313436866noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1579619453037966164.post-4895434747963067922008-03-22T17:02:00.000-07:002008-10-09T14:00:22.872-07:00On Storms and CalmsWhat about storms,<br />The word which connotes extremes;<br />Conditions in which we are challenged<br />To survive, sometimes <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">beyond</span> our means?<br /><br />And what about Calms,<br />The word which <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1">connotes</span> peace;<br />Conditions in which we relax,<br />And pray it will stay that way - please?<br /><br />But what about calms before storms;<br />And what about calms after storms?<br />Do we need both calms and storms;<br />Are there any such things as norms?<br /><br />If we had all our <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_2">druthers</span> and wishes<br />Do we really want all peace and quiet?<br />Or do we need both calms and storms<br />To energize us, and not die yet?Leanderthal, Lighthouse Keeperhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17398230668313436866noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1579619453037966164.post-55100183703980811142008-03-22T16:57:00.000-07:002008-03-22T17:01:39.940-07:00A Metaphor for PartnersTwo tall trees of different species<br />Growing side by side<br />Each with its own healthy root system<br />Meshing in the branches.Leanderthal, Lighthouse Keeperhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17398230668313436866noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1579619453037966164.post-30423441945049574492008-03-22T16:30:00.000-07:002008-03-22T16:55:27.337-07:00On CloudsWe all know what they are made of,<br />But tonight I <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">learned</span> bit more<br />From clouds <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1">about</span> what I am made of,<br />As their shapes changed up on sky's floor.<br /><br />I saw a disfigured face<br />And <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_2">thought</span>, it that possibly God?<br />When we think of Him in our image<br />Does He need to be perfect in bod?<br /><br />Then my mind saw a beautiful woman,<br />So clear in her <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_3">eyes</span> and mouth.<br />Then the cloud changed of course, once again,<br />And part of her face had gone south.<br /><br />And so what <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_4">do</span> we wish for and why,<br />When we inspect what's on other's neat shelves?<br />Can we ever accept imperfections,<br />Since they're clearly a part of ourselves?Leanderthal, Lighthouse Keeperhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17398230668313436866noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1579619453037966164.post-5354830006649998322008-03-20T17:58:00.000-07:002008-03-21T06:59:36.236-07:00Fantasy and RealityIt has been for a long time,<br />In the first part of life,<br />That fantasy was more<br />Attractive than Reality,<br /><br />Though somehow knowing<br />It was not the whole of me.<br /><br />I'll try to forgive myself for that,<br />When reality provoked in me a spat.<br /><br />In the second part of life<br />I will try on reality's hat.Leanderthal, Lighthouse Keeperhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17398230668313436866noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1579619453037966164.post-21094061282521285752008-03-11T14:52:00.000-07:002008-03-11T15:06:35.552-07:00Nature and UsAre we villains with no place<br />In Nature's world, quite out of grace?<br />We're inclined to want control;<br />Have other species pay a toll.<br /><br />But our species is a part of this,<br />Result of Nature's contra kiss.<br />Should we condemn ourselves and pray;<br />Or is it not our lot to say?<br /><br />We're prone to this when we've screwed up,<br />Feel unworthy, gulp the hemlock cup.<br />Can we let go of our way;<br />Forsake our goals; ask Nature's way?<br /><br />Perhaps humility's the thing:<br />Ask what Nature has to bring.<br />The answer is, I might confess,<br />That Nature's here. She'll fix the mess.<br /><br />Mother Nature doesn't care<br />That we messed it up , She'll still repair.<br />She'll work it out, time's no constraint;<br />She's just amused we'd want to taint,<br /><br />Try to control. subject our world,<br />As is we're gods outside the fold.<br />We're only one part of this mess.<br />Which, in time, Nature will redress.Leanderthal, Lighthouse Keeperhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17398230668313436866noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1579619453037966164.post-74513990216601466562008-03-07T14:25:00.000-08:002008-03-14T14:59:59.588-07:00IntroductionI've long thought that the pendulum is an apt symbol for life, how it describes, perhaps mockingly mimics, the swingings back and <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">forth</span> in life; feeling and thinking, losses and winnings, endings and beginnings, joys and sorrows.<br /><br />Kay <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1">Redfield</span> Jamison expresses it well: "We have then, within ourselves, the capacity for extremes that will serve us well on occasion and badly on others. These extremes encompass not only rage and aggression but sadness and ecstasy, inertia and frenzied states, dullness and exploration....". (Night Falls Fast, Alfred A. Knopf, New York, 1999, 178.)<br /><br />I have considered my own experiences and those of others and express them here. The messages of my poems, and the writings of others <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_2">included</span>, reflect unsettled feelings. I hope by reading them you will gain and understanding of a process through which all <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_4">humans</span> go when trying to come to grips with <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_5">loss</span> and perhaps <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_6">take heart</span> that you are not alone when misfortune comes your way.<br /><br />Consider the words of Maya Angelou: "On so many levels (poetry) strengthens a person. One thing it does is it tells the person <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_7">that</span> he or she is not out there alone; that there are other <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_8">people</span> who have felt that way and who are feeling that way. It takes away some of the bitterness of <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_9">aloneness</span>. We find that somebody(else) did <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_10">love</span> someone that much. Someone did feel that <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_11">loss</span> when he or she was exiled or abandoned".(Interview with Maya Angelou by Joe Burns, The Cape <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_12">Codder</span>, Orleans, MA, 2000.)<br /><br />And consider a part of the message of Desiderata. "Nurture strength of spirit to shield you in sudden misfortune." (Anonymous)<br /><br />I have <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_13">interspersed</span> throughout this collection of poems and thoughts, excerpts from what I have found to be important writings of others to whom I have gone for insight during my own pendulum swings of life. I encourage you to read them in their entirety.Leanderthal, Lighthouse Keeperhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17398230668313436866noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1579619453037966164.post-90153050913996527132008-03-05T14:29:00.000-08:002008-03-06T15:25:06.172-08:00Who's That?I feel so completely discarded,<br />Put away from the intimate world;<br />A banner removed and rolled tight,<br />Not waving, no longer unfurled.<br /><br />I exist from each hour to hour,<br />Waiting for solace of night<br />Which brings freedom from much apprehension<br />Of the next back turned or a slight.<br /><br />I've covered up deep-seated feelings,<br />And found work to make a small difference;<br />In a place of numbers and budgets,<br />Not affirming my spirit's existence.<br /><br />Rewards come from being tough minded,<br />Thick skinned, hard nosed and objective.<br />I've learned these skills and am adequate,<br />Sometimes awkward, excessive, protective.<br /><br />Though it's not really me that's exposed,<br />But a reflection trying to please<br />The powers that be to survive<br />In a world full of conflict, appease.<br /><br />It's taken a toll on my being.<br />I'm sick in my heart and scared.<br />Those I've needed but hurt by withdrawal<br />Have given up, quite unprepared<br /><br />To deal with a soul inauthentic,<br />A caricature of another;<br />An imitation, a fraud, a pawn,<br />When they wanted to be with a lover.<br /><br />I'm so out of touch with the truth,<br />I admit I don't know the way back.<br />The world says, "Rely on yourself".<br />Who's that? I've lost him in fact.<br /><br />Occasionally another has shared<br />That I've touched them in ways quite profound.<br />The settings are outside of business,<br />And encourage my staying around.<br /><br />I long for a place and connections<br />Where that happens more often than not.<br />I have need for a guide who knows how<br />To help me to live, not to rot.Leanderthal, Lighthouse Keeperhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17398230668313436866noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1579619453037966164.post-22642629139926937722008-02-20T15:01:00.000-08:002008-03-06T15:26:41.750-08:00On IntimacyI can be gentle, understanding and warm<br /><br />It seems.<br /><br />Yet also distant, reflective<br /><br />In dreams<br /><br />Of what I thought my world should be,<br /><br />Though lacking support and not led.<br /><br />And didn't I wish I could keep it so,<br /><br />In spite of what others have said.<br /><br />I've spent many years thinking, obsessing,<br /><br />Believing I knew a truth<br /><br />Which would strengthen, protect me and guide me<br /><br />O'er the countless days since youth.<br /><br />But assaults have come on my borders,<br /><br />So they've been somewhat drawn in;<br /><br />A little close but comfortable,<br /><br />Secure, once solid; now thin.<br /><br />I need, desire and want you first friend<br /><br />To teach me sustainable caring;<br /><br />What I need to know and accept, so to be<br /><br />More understanding, open and sharing.<br /><br />So please cross over these borders<br /><br />And share what you're willing to say.<br /><br />Talk about us and what we've been through,<br /><br />And why we should not throw it away.<br /><br />We're so much alike, yet so different.<br /><br />Can we know that and not make a fuss?<br /><br />Learn from each other, share with each other,<br /><br />Somehow be with each other, just us?<br /><br />And back to my wishing for mendings<br /><br />Which I hope we can talk about soon;<br /><br />Our traditions and tendings, beginnings and endings.<br /><br />Are you willing to give me some room<br /><br />To be back in your life, so surprising?<br /><br />I know you found strength to let go<br /><br />When you thought I had exorcised caring,<br /><br />But just needed to find new ways to grow.Leanderthal, Lighthouse Keeperhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17398230668313436866noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1579619453037966164.post-19814917599682314252008-02-20T14:50:00.000-08:002008-02-20T14:54:02.235-08:00On WhyWe have met, and we both know how.<br />You have happened to me, and I think I know why.<br />Perhaps it's synchronicity, mysterious in itself;<br />Two lives, like Spode, stored safely on a shelf<br /><br />But now needing to be needed, put back into use,<br />Risk being shattered.<br />Yes, if dropped, we could break,<br />But please use us, for God's sake.Leanderthal, Lighthouse Keeperhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17398230668313436866noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1579619453037966164.post-54147189895047764282008-02-20T14:41:00.000-08:002008-03-06T15:27:53.675-08:00Nothing Was WrongAt first I acted like nothing was wrong,<br />And assumed my boys would support<br />The decision I made. At first they were strong,<br />And gave me a good report.<br /><br />But reality reared its ugly head<br />As day gave way to day.<br />When I wasn't at home to tuck them in bed,<br />It sank in that I'd gone away.Leanderthal, Lighthouse Keeperhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17398230668313436866noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1579619453037966164.post-58397560193536316542008-02-15T14:29:00.000-08:002008-03-06T15:29:30.144-08:00The IndividualWe're never always sure<br />As we travel through existence<br />That the crew we started out with<br />Will share our same persistence<br /><br />To complete the entire voyage<br />With us, though they'll surely finish<br />Perhaps with a different crew<br />Though the trip will not diminish<br /><br />Rather it's expanded<br />Not in length but breadth<br />It might be far more crucial<br />To take soundings of new depth.<br /><br />For all are on a voyage<br />And each one custom made<br />To the needs which must be met<br />If that voyage is to aid<br /><br />The Individual's search<br />The meaning of the Quest<br />Though one will travel East<br />Another must choose West<br /><br />It's actually not a mutiny<br />Though we often feel betrayed<br />What actually up for scrutiny<br />Is: Are our fears allayed<br /><br />That we can keep on going<br />Though key support must change?<br />On whom are we relying<br />And who assists in range?<br /><br />It's not often our decision<br />And feelings are not just<br />We must be open handed<br />With others who now must<br /><br />Deal with other needs<br />As they make a new decision<br />For themselves and how they'll go<br />It's growth and not division<br /><br />Which yields rewards, not limits<br />And all can gain though split<br />As each one ventures forth<br />From hard lessons comes new grit<br /><br />Attachment has rewards<br />Though not to whom, but why<br />If we really love them so<br />We have to let them fly<br /><br />And least for now it seems<br />They've given all they know<br />To this point at least that's clear<br />Now it's time for them to go<br /><br />So with what are we left?<br />As for them it's their decision<br />The sharing that we had<br />Smiles at our vain derision<br /><br />They had to make a choice<br />For them not versus us<br />To experiment still further<br />Try not to make a fuss<br /><br />The Individual's All<br />And when All is added up<br />It's exponentially more<br />First we drain then fill the cupLeanderthal, Lighthouse Keeperhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17398230668313436866noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1579619453037966164.post-17125138941950932462008-02-15T14:20:00.000-08:002008-02-15T14:28:54.765-08:00Regret Not MeThe voice I hear is clearly thine<br />It whispers all of thee<br />I hear in it the laugh, the lilt<br />The love so deep in me.<br /><br />I fear to call for might it cease<br />Since only Seasons know the peace<br />Which I shall seek<br />Till Time repairs<br /><br />And yet while Winter has her way<br />I know my solace is to pray<br />That while we find ourselves apart<br />The days till Spring will fairly flee<br /><br />From Winters muffled sounds I plea<br />And of you ask with answering heart<br />My love, my love,<br />Forget not me.Leanderthal, Lighthouse Keeperhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17398230668313436866noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1579619453037966164.post-74843816534177368482008-02-13T17:37:00.000-08:002008-02-15T14:19:55.009-08:00The Joker of HeartsMy Joker of Hearts is too large for myself,<br />So it's beat twenty years at your door.<br />It is smaller by half than the one in yourself,<br />But it knows you're the one we adore.<br /><br />It wailed out on the morn<br />Of the day when I was born,<br />And today, at the world, it still cries.<br />It will stop, short, never to wail again<br />When the old man dies.<br /><br />Many years without numbering,<br />Thumping, thumping;<br /><br />A heart never slumbering,<br />Thumping, thumping.<br /><br />It will stop short,<br />Never to wail again,<br />When the old man dies.Leanderthal, Lighthouse Keeperhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17398230668313436866noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1579619453037966164.post-39845647658173176302008-02-05T15:27:00.000-08:002008-02-05T15:45:04.529-08:00A Poet Named KatI just met a poet named Kat<br />Who's as clever as Cat in the Hat.<br />She writes about creatures<br />With scurrilous features<br />Who don't always know where they're at.<br /><br />One was a skunk Kat named Dot,<br />Whose unplanned excursion Dot got.<br />She woke up in Toronto<br />And more quickly than pronto<br />The locals welcomed her not.<br /><br />And then there's the groundhop named Willy<br />Who provokes human actions quite silly.<br />Like Phil in the US<br />He's relied on to tell us<br />When winter will end, willy-nilly.<br /><br />The irony to me is that Kat<br />Has more than just one favorite cat.<br />Just north of the border,<br />Of cats she's a hoarder.<br />Believe it not, that's that.Leanderthal, Lighthouse Keeperhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17398230668313436866noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1579619453037966164.post-8608685448261203582007-10-13T14:09:00.000-07:002007-10-13T15:21:09.660-07:00ThanksOften when we've asked for help with a task<br />We need to express sincere thanks.<br />So please now take heed of my passionate need,<br />Which you can take to your favorite banks.<br /><br />I am genuinely happy, though seeming unflappy,<br />Having found my relationship treasure.<br />To use intuition, bring thoughts to fruition,<br />Deeply stirs my emotional pleasure.<br /><br />So thanks be to God that I've settled my bod<br />Midst the likes of you, each one a donor.<br />You gave, now receive, and quite surely believe<br />I give thanks I'm no longer a loner.Leanderthal, Lighthouse Keeperhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17398230668313436866noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1579619453037966164.post-67219214244730781662007-10-13T13:50:00.000-07:002007-10-13T14:07:40.543-07:00A Man's MuseSo why do I think<br />A man's muse is a she?<br />He's seldom emote<br />Or write poetry.<br /><br />But seldom's not never;<br />He's human it seems,<br />And thus not immune<br />To well-shattered dreams.<br /><br />And if his strange muse<br />Is a definite she,<br />She's the internal part<br />Of his external he.<br /><br />He might try retrieving,<br />And opening the gift,<br />Once put aside<br />In a long ago rift.<br /><br />Here's to unwrapping,<br />Taking down from the shelf,<br />That long hidden treasure;<br />And enjoy the whole self.Leanderthal, Lighthouse Keeperhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17398230668313436866noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1579619453037966164.post-40456911853286128052007-10-08T13:34:00.000-07:002008-02-12T13:09:05.281-08:00A RiddleWhat strange mysteries surround<br />Our mere existence!<br />The thought that God is someone real<br />Prevails, and in persistence.<br /><br />But what's He do, She if you like,<br />As we contend with Life?<br />We oft take credit on our own,<br />But with Him share our strife.<br /><br />One strain of Christian worship<br />Says He's part of everything.<br />Through prayer they conjure up His will,<br />In all His praises sing.<br /><br />It's their belief He's in control<br />Of health, of love of sin.<br />Evangelistic stories flow<br />That lives are changed within.<br /><br />Another group in search of faith<br />Aren't sure it always works.<br />To them, less sanguine possibly,<br />Life's full of puzzling quirks.<br /><br />And then there is the Devil's deal,<br />The wicked one, the bad.<br />To some a concept, to some He's real,<br />To some He's just a fad.<br /><br />On the other hand some people feel<br />That Life is accidental.<br />To them a god is quite unreal,<br />A concept purely mental.<br /><br />In Life's affairs I usually find<br />Extremes are hard to trust.<br />Inevitably they polarize,<br />Proclaiming, "Think like us!"<br /><br />My experience and my mind<br />Make room for compromise.<br />If something is one-sided<br />It's rare, and a surprise.<br /><br />I've built my life around this,<br />To seek the middle ground.<br />It's often quite rewarding<br />and bridges gaps I've found.<br /><br />But no so with religion.<br />The in between is out.<br />It seems that one must take a stand,<br />To something be devout.<br /><br />The riddle is outside of Life<br />And baffling to my thought,<br />Since intellect seems useless;<br />It simply goes for naught.<br /><br />It's hard for me to understand<br />That, given all our senses,<br />We must decide without their use;<br />Our minds are only fences.<br /><br />The Riddle goes unanswered<br />For me, I must confess.<br />The only progress that I've made<br />Is God is there--I guess.Leanderthal, Lighthouse Keeperhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17398230668313436866noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1579619453037966164.post-35277979518623625572007-10-08T13:21:00.000-07:002008-02-04T11:33:03.931-08:00Separation SymphonyThe opening strain proclaims the theme<br />Of startling emptiness<br />From overpowering sense of loss<br />Which can't resist its press.<br /><br />It settles in, a haunting friend<br />As variations start;<br />So every part of Life once shared<br />Is cruelly pulled apart.<br /><br />Then enter strains which salve the wound,<br />As Time repairs and starts<br />Creative thought of future plans<br />To entertain the heart.<br /><br />The final movement, classically,<br />Sings of triumph in its claim<br />That love will once again feel light,<br />A welcome last refrain.Leanderthal, Lighthouse Keeperhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17398230668313436866noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1579619453037966164.post-29355732036513638622007-10-08T13:17:00.000-07:002008-02-04T11:34:01.113-08:00RainRain, gentle or heavy<br />When I'm alone and in thought,<br />Is pleasing and friendly,<br />Helps imagination be caught<br />By heaven knows what.<br />It really won't matter.<br />Just rain and my thought;<br />On mind's window nice patter.Leanderthal, Lighthouse Keeperhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17398230668313436866noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1579619453037966164.post-71592500684890818422007-10-07T16:01:00.000-07:002007-10-08T15:56:06.096-07:00Is it Crisis Overload or Challenge to Would-Be Presidents?I thought it might be interesting to make a list of what is being reported in the various elements of the the media, whether it be print, Internet or Cable News.<br /><br />Here is a list of topics I compiled from reading the media's above the fold front pages, on their recent real and virtual offerings.<br /><br />Torture<br />Iran<br />Schip<br />Health Care<br />Spending<br />Budget<br />Taxes<br />Signing Statements<br />Executive Privilege<br />Blackwater<br />Climate Change<br />Halliburton<br />No bid Contracts<br />Faith Based Funding<br />Religious Influence on Politics<br />Veterans' Health Care, Walter Reed<br />Patriot Act: Security and Privacy<br />Katrina<br />The war in Iraq<br />The War in Afghanistan<br />The War against Terrorism<br /><br />How do react to this list? Do you see a pattern which suggests a point of view, do you see each item as a topic to be discussed and debated, are you turned off by the list, do you care less?<br />If nothing else you can use the list as check points if and when you consider someone to vote for.<br /><br />Leave a comment to let me know what you think.<br /><br /><br />Thirsty MuseLeanderthal, Lighthouse Keeperhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17398230668313436866noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1579619453037966164.post-17365261818239924712007-10-06T16:49:00.000-07:002007-10-13T13:40:56.458-07:00Immersed or Washed Ashore?If you take pride in and belief yourself to be a member of the Republican party, you won't agree with much of those things I write from a politcal point of view, unless you, like many people who believe in the value of a conservative view and approach to life, have decided that the current administration is conservative in name only.<br /><br /><br />Recently, I put my thoughts about that on another blog, <a href="http://www.capecodlighthouse.blogspot.com/">http://www.capecodlighthouse.blogspot.com/</a>.<br /><br /><br />Those thoughts were about my reaction to David Brooks' piece in the NYTimes on why the Republican party is coming apart. In that post I mentioned that I considered myself more aligned with the Republican point of view for many years, just as dad and mom did. But I declared myself as an Independent for voting purposes when the words Republican and Conservative came to be only labels and names, like the empty shells one finds on a beach. That which once annimated it, its substance, flesh and blood, and the spirit which moved it are missing, gone, dead, nowhere to be found.<br /><br />I realized that searching for a home in the Democrat or Liberal group was like looking for another empty shell to inhabit. None of those fits either, and they all had a bad smell left over from their previous inhabitants.<br /><br />Perhaps the Great Spirit, that Higher Power, which embodies the hopes and aspirations, as well as the pride and satisfaction which springs from the struggle of doing one's best, will once again inhabit, add substance to and annimate a yet unidentified creature. One will be able to encounter it only by becoming immersed in its habitat, taking the chance to dive in without knowing the depth, temperature and potability of the water in which it thrives.Leanderthal, Lighthouse Keeperhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17398230668313436866noreply@blogger.com0