What is one question you hate to be asked? Explain.
“Tell me about yourself.”
It’s my least comfortable topic to speak about. Plus, it’s directionless, and not so much a question as a command.
PROMPT: Question
1
“X-Men: Phoenix in Darkness” by Grant Morrison
X-Men: Phoenix in Darkness by Grant Morrison by Grant MorrisonMy rating: 5 of 5 stars
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This volume consists of two different story arcs that are thinly tethered by the character of Jean Grey / Phoenix. The first arc features an elaborate plot by Erik Lehnsherr / Magneto to clear the playing field of major opposition so that he can carry out his plans for world domination / the end of homo sapiens. The second arc is set in a futuristic dystopia and its villain is a dark and twisted variant of Hank McCoy / Beast who sets himself up to control the power of the gene. Interestingly, while Jean Grey / Phoenix plays important roles in both arcs, the stories are by no means centered on her. This keeps the stories from just playing out the will of a ridiculously overpowered character, and instead uses the fact that Phoenix is a threat everlasting, one that can never be allowed to get out of one’s sight.
The volume can be a bit chaotic, with the various time jumps and rather large cast of characters, but I felt it wasn’t too hard to follow the story — even given a bit of Grant Morrison trippiness.
If you’re interested in the X-men, this volume is worth looking into.
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Duck Drift [Haiku]
ducks drift lazily
on water that sparkles
with winter sunlight.
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DAILY PHOTO: Kyrgyz Farmland
“The Fly” by William Blake [w/ Audio]
Little fly,
Thy summer's play
My thoughtless hand
Has brushed away.
Am not I
A fly like thee?
Or art not thou
A man like me?
For I dance
And drink and sing,
Till some blind hand
Shall brush my wing.
If thought is life
And strength and breath,
And the want
Of thought is death,
Then am I
A happy fly,
If I live,
Or if I die.
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Ripples [Haiku]
DAILY PHOTO: St. Catherine’s Church at Dusk, Frankfurt
Image
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BOOKS: “The Flowers of Evil” by Charles Baudelaire
Les Fleurs du Mal by Charles BaudelaireMy rating: 5 of 5 stars
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I read the 1909 Cyril Scott translation of Baudelaire’s poetry collection. It consists of 54 poems, including “Condemned Women” but not including others of the six poems that were banned in early editions and which only came to be included in later editions. (I did look up and read a couple translations each for the six poems — because censorship can’t be allowed to prevail. Not surprisingly, they are calm by today’s standards. It should be noted that Baudelaire played in symbolism, and so his poems – while ahead of their time in subject matter – didn’t tend toward explicit vulgarity in the first place.)
The Scott translation is all in rhymed verse, the largest share of it presented as sonnets — though there are some longer pieces (longer, but not long. It’s a quick read.) “The Broken Bell” and “Spleen” were highlights for me, but the whole collection is intriguing, evocative, and readable.
I enjoyed this collection tremendously, even with such an old translation. The hedonism, eroticism, and macabre of Baudelaire’s work creates an intense tone.
I’d highly recommend this collection for all poetry readers.
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“Gitanjali 35” by Rabindranath Tagore [w/ Audio]
Where the mind is without fear and the head is held high;
Where knowledge is free;
Where the world has not been broken up into fragments by narrow domestic walls;
Where words come out from the depth of truth;
Where tireless striving stretches its arms towards perfection;
Where the clear stream of reason has not lost its way into the dreary desert sand of dead habit;
Where the mind is led forward by thee into ever-widening thought and action
Into that heave of freedom, my Father, let my country awake.
NOTE: This poem is often entitled “Let My Country Awake,” particularly when it is anthologized independently of the larger Gitanjali poem.
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PROMPT: Opening Sentence
You’re writing your autobiography. What’s your opening sentence?
“From humble beginnings would come humbling ends.”
Tiger Riding for Beginners 