I have a piece in this new collection, out today (May 30, 2025) in the Indian market and later in the year for international markets.
GoodReads Page Amazon.in Page
shamless plug: THE PENGUIN BOOK OF POEMS ON THE INDIAN CITY
2
DAILY PHOTO: Church of the Visitation of the Virgin Mary, Bratislava
Image
Share on Facebook, Twitter, Email, etc.
After Autumn Rain [Haiku]
pavement glistens;
yellow leaves sodden:
nothing moves... but drips.
Share on Facebook, Twitter, Email, etc.
“Smoke” by Henry David Thoreau [w/ Audio]
Light-winged Smoke, Icarian bird,
Melting thy pinions in thy upward flight,
Lark without song, and messenger of dawn,
Circling above the hamlets as thy nest;
Or else, departing dream, and shadowy form
Of midnight vision, gathering up thy skirts;
By night star-veiling, and by day
Darkening the light and blotting out the sun;
Go thou my incense upward from this hearth,
And ask the gods to pardon this clear flame.
Share on Facebook, Twitter, Email, etc.
PROMPT: Friend
What quality do you value most in a friend?
The ability to converse intelligently on a wide range of subjects.
Share on Facebook, Twitter, Email, etc.
Something Moves [Haiku]
something moves
through the tall grass --
mystery rump & ears.
Share on Facebook, Twitter, Email, etc.
BOOKS: “Violence: A Very Short Introduction” by Philip Dwyer
Violence: A Very Short Introduction by Philip DwyerMy rating: 4 of 5 stars
Publisher Site – Oxford University Press
This is a brief overview of various types of violence, starting with the question of what counts as violence. The book explores violent acts carried out by individuals, mobs, movements, governments, and religions. It reflects upon how the nature of violence has changed over the centuries while hinting at potential reasons for said changes (along with counterarguments.)
This book raised some provocative questions, such as: Why would people go to watch executions? Does Steven Pinker’s hypothesis that humanity is becoming less violent hold water? [Pinker made this argument in his book The Better Angels of Our Nature, but it has been refuted on number of grounds — definitional, methodological, etc. Though Dwyer only briefly touches on Pinker’s book and its critics in this book and a detailed critique will require looking elsewhere.] How (and why) do violent tendencies vary across cultures. And, when and how did governments end up with a monopoly on legitimate use of force.
I found this book interesting and informative and would recommend it for those looking for answers as to why and how our species is so violent.
View all my reviews
Share on Facebook, Twitter, Email, etc.
DAILY PHOTO: Elephant in the Grasslands
Image
Share on Facebook, Twitter, Email, etc.
shamless plug: THE PENGUIN BOOK OF POEMS ON THE INDIAN CITY
I have a piece in this new collection, out tomorrow (May 30, 2025) in the Indian market and later in the year for international markets.
GoodReads Page Amazon.in PageShare on Facebook, Twitter, Email, etc.
“The Snow Man” by Wallace Stevens [w/ Audio]
One must have a mind of winter
To regard the frost and the boughs
Of the pine-trees crusted with snow;
And have been cold a long time
To behold the junipers shagged with ice,
The spruces rough in the distant glitter
Of the January sun; and not to think
Of any misery in the sound of the wind,
In the sound of a few leaves,
Which is the sound of the land
Full of the same wind
That is blowing in the same bare place
For the listener, who listens in the snow,
And, nothing himself, beholds
Nothing that is not there and the nothing that is.
Tiger Riding for Beginners 