Morning thunder storm delays the onset of dawn. The earlier
rose cast in the east has been replaced by a dull gray. It’s getting darker.
Morning is refusing to arrive. There is a rumbling to the southwest. There is
just the slightest dark blue hint of a sky. The trees gently rustle. It’s
almost seven. Dawn should have arrived two hours ago. The rumbling is getting
nearer. The wind is picking up. Each succeeding rumble lasts a little longer.
There are flashes of light. A booming rumble from overhead. Now it comes from
the right and moves across to the left. Now it begins to really rain – large
drops – plunk plunk plunk. A peel of booming is heard out of the east. The
front is moving past fast. It’s a steady tropical downpour without any wind. It
is 7:15. To the south clear patches begin to appear with gray splotches
whipping across. It is getting lighter. Puddles reflect the little available
sky. Its 7:25 and the only falling water is what drains off the roofs. There is
a distant train whistle. It is now daylight. The time is 7:33. There is a
gentle plip plip plip from a nearby roof eave. Birds begin to sing and
squirrels scurry about. Time to get a move on.
The cocktail is really a corollary of the hard-work culture:
extreme toil needs an extreme drink to counteract the misery – Tom Hodkinson –
How to be Idle, 2004
The middle classes are the masters of non-material
production, the aim of which is to absorb disruptive ideas and events and turn
them into commodities
“She’s probably a half-wit, as far as I can make out.”
“That’s merely the camouflage of the poor,” I explain. “They take refuge behind
a mask of stupidity.” – Agatha Christie – Murder at the Vicarage
Entrained entertained
Detained and detrained
A reign of rain
A reign of rain
Train terrain
I think that if there ever is another war in this country it
will be one of ignorance and superstition combined against education and
intelligence – Ulysses S Grant
The end of the world
Will be a power point
Summarized and clarified
Illustrated
Everything will go on
Just the
same
Or so shall we proclaim
Getting better and better
Progress
The ties of bourgeois existence were being loosened by
frequent bombardment – Ernest Junger – Storm of Steel
There are 60,000 Avon ladies working the Amazon River Basin
in Brazil. Two dozen eggs buys a Bart Simpson roll-on deodorant
A fine fettle of fish
Nettles in the kettle
Raking in the hake
The unerring instinct of lemmings – Hans Magnus Enzenberger
– Critical Essays, 1982 p236
“Phyllis you have great nipples,” or at least that’s what I
thought Joe had said. She was standing on my right gathering up glassware from
the table at which we sat. She was facing me and I looked at her chest. I
couldn’t see any nipples, maybe Joe knew something that I didn’t. She told Joe,
thanks and turned to me and said, “yes, and I have two of them”. And I had no
doubt that she did. And she touched the side of her mouth with her right index
finger. Oh, I said to myself, dimples. I had done the same yesterday at the
vet. Along with the dog food there was a display a of pill pockets hanging on
the wall. I had seen the name as ‘dill pickles’. Umph, dill pickle flavored
treats. I didn’t know that dogs liked the flavor of dill pickles that much. Oh
well, learn something new everyday. But why only the one flavor, why not bone
marrow or even liver and onions? Later while paying my bill I noticed them
again but this time I read the label correctly. How stupid. And I said to Joe,
I thought you had said ‘nipples’. ‘I thought you had told Phyllis she had great
nipples’. I was wondering why she hadn’t slapped you. I looked but I couldn’t
see her nipples. She was wearing a bra. And when she told me that she had two
of them, well I said to Joe, you must know something that I don’t. You’re getting
old, Joe said. No, I think it’s because I write too much poetry. The next time
Phyllis came by, Joe said, “Can I ask what might seem a personal question but
is not? I don’t mean anything personally.’ She blushed (she’s very young) but
was curious (aren’t we all, but we all don’t pursue it so vigorously as Joe).
‘Sure!’ she replied. “Is it in the dresscode that you are required to wear a
bra.” This time she turned crimson but was polite about it, “ ’ll look it up”
she said. “But why do you ask?” How was Joe going to explain this. He mumbled
something that he tried to pass off as an explanation but wasn’t. We’re always
interested in how Joe is going to get himself out of hot water. We didn’t think
we did it very well this time. On a score of one to ten he got a three.And I explained to Brian the story of why Joe
was suddenly interested in bras. Phyllis came back by later and reported to
Joe, ‘yes it does. It is in the dresscode.’
The pregnant waitress / asks / “Would you like / some more
coffee?” / Surprised out of the question / I wait seconds “Yes, / I think I would!” I hand her / my empty
cup, & / “thank you!” she says. My pleasure
– Ted Berrigan
70% of the world’s water market is controlled by three
companies: Suez-ONDEO, Vivendi-Veolia, and RWE-Thames Water
Empathize with stupidity
and your halfway to thinking like an idiot – Iain Banks – Consider Phlebes,
1987
One in every 13 (8% of all) non-suicide gun deaths in the US
is the result of a police shooting. Half (50%) of the armed victims are white,
while three quarters (75%) of the unarmed victims are black.
As a general rule, I have found the people honest on
proportion as they are stupid. They are quick witted whenever the spirit of
gain is aroused – Bayard Taylor – Northern Travels, 1859 p380
Wherever there is a new
There is
(or was) an old
Jolly ol’ England or Wales or Jersey
A car with no driver
A doll without an arm
A dog without a bone
The leaves fall
And so does snow
People
escape
Winter over
Summer is
A loving time
The four seasons
Of
four-square
Gospel
Everything has an other
Everything has, sometimes
More
Three or four, rarely more
Most readers of Braille prefer to use the left hand to
identify symbols
First, we’re in this big aerodrome / and the speaker is inspecting a row of dirigibles, / which makes me think this could be a dream. - Billy Collins
No comments:
Post a Comment