MAY DAY, MAYDAY

The Crazy Woman
by Gwendolyn Brooks

I shall not sing a May song.
A May song should be gay.
I'll wait until November
And sing a song of gray.

I'll wait until November
That is the time for me.
I'll go out in the frosty dark
And sing most terribly.

And all the little people
Will stare at me and say,
"That is the Crazy Woman
Who would not sing in May."

GREAT NEWS! Utah Republicans have found a way to abolish adultery,

sodomy, & fornication. Maybe they

can do away with rape and molestation while they're at it.

Salt Lake County republicans hold annual meeting; 

may define sex

Orwell would be proud; 

'cause every body knows changing the definition of something 

is the best way to make it go away.

Daily Life

   by Susan Wood

A parrot of irritation sits
on my shoulder, pecks
at my head, ruffling his feathers
in my ear. He repeats
everything I say, like a child
trying to irritate the parent.
Too much to do today: the dracena
that's outgrown its pot, a mountain
of bills to pay and nothing in the house
to eat. Too many clothes need washing
and the dog needs his shots.
It just goes on and on, I say
to myself, no one around, and catch
myself saying it, a ball hit so straight
to your glove you'd have to be
blind not to catch it. And of course
I hope it does go on and on
forever, the little pain,
the little pleasure, the sun
a blood orange in the sky, the sky
parrot blue and the day
unfolding like a bird slowly
spreading its wings, though I know,
saying it, that it won't.


from: The Book of Ten. Copyright 2011.

DEVASTATION

Over 200 are dead after over a hundred separate tornadoes left a trail of destruction across five states in the American South. The nation appears headed for a record number of tornadoes this year. -- Lane Turner.

Faye Hyde sits on a mattress in what was her yard as she comforts her granddaughter Sierra Goldsmith, 2, in Concord, Ala. April 27, after their home was destroyed. 

 

A wave of tornado-spawning storms strafed the South on Wednesday, splintering buildings across hard-hit Alabama and killing nearly 200 people in four states. At least 58 people died in Alabama alone. (Jeff Roberts/The Birmingham News/AP)

 

The Big Picture documents the destruction down south.

TO DONATE: I have provided links here for

THE RED CROSS, 

and

DOCTORS WITHOUT BORDERS.

The permanent links for both are in my sidebar.

KEROUAC. HAIKU. Who Knew?

One Flower  
by Jack Kerouac

One flower
   on the cliffside
Nodding at the canyon






from: Book of Haikus. Copyright 2003.

QUOTE OF THE DAY

[W]e need creative language "to keep the brain alive." He points out that so much of our language today, written in bullet points or simple sentences, fall into predictability. "You can often tell what someone is going to say before they finish their sentence" he says. "This represents a gradual deadening of the brain." 

- Professor Philip Davis,
University of Liverpool's School of English,
Via. Big Think.

I LOVE TREES

 

Arbor Day is the last Friday in April of each year.

It all began in Nebraska in 1872. A special day was set aside for planting trees. This tree planting idea caught on and now we celebrate Arbor Day every year. ... [to continue reading, click here]


WHY are trees are so important to us all: 

1. Trees provide shade to keep us and our homes cool on hot summer days.
 
2. Trees give off vital oxygen through photosynthesis which you and I and animals need to breathe.
 
3. Trees absorb harmful pollutants and small particles from the air which could damage our lungs.
 
4. Trees provide protection from the wind.
 
5. Trees reduce noise pollution.
 
6. Trees give us products such as: chewing gum, crayons, soap, shatterproof glass, suntan lotion, cork, dyes, life-saving drugs, writing paper, syrup, perfume, pencils, firewood, building materials, and much much more.

- from: EEK! 

Environmental Education for Kids.

More ARBOR DAY links: here, here, here, here, here.

PERFECT FOR THOSE DAYS WHEN I'M RUNNING LATE!

WHEN PIGS CARS FLY!?!