a flying fox hangs
from lush vegetation,
reaching monkey-like
Bat Hang [Haiku]
Reply
Rays [Haiku]
sunlight splits
into searchlight sprawl,
lighting in patches
Share on Facebook, Twitter, Email, etc.
The Sound of Dry [Haiku]
grass in winter rustles with such tight clacks; i hear its dryness
Share on Facebook, Twitter, Email, etc.
DAILY PHOTO: Rushing Water
Share on Facebook, Twitter, Email, etc.
Crow Gaze [Haiku]
a crow alights upon a flowery branch -- beak pointing at me
Share on Facebook, Twitter, Email, etc.
DAILY PHOTO: Thunderbirds
Share on Facebook, Twitter, Email, etc.
BOOK REVIEW: There Once Was A Limerick Anthology Ed. by Michael Croland
There Once Was a Limerick Anthology: Lewis Carroll, Robert Frost, Edward Lear, Mark Twain, Carolyn Wells, Woodrow Wilson and Others by Michael CrolandMy rating: 5 of 5 stars
Amazon.in Page
Release Date: August 17, 2022
This little book gathers a diverse collection of about 350 limericks. [Limericks are a five-line poetic form with an aabba rhyme scheme and short -b lines, and are often humorous – or, at least, punny, quirky, or absurd. The form often uses forced rhymes or contorted language as part of the humor, leaning into the genre’s lowbrow image.] For those who’ve read Edward Lear and may be concerned that these limericks will, like much of Lear’s work, lack punch and humor to the modern ear, that’s not the case. The selected limericks include many clever and witty examples that land as well today as ever. [Lest it sound like I’m dissing Lear, I agree with Langford Reed’s limerick included in this edition – i.e. “We should never forget // That we owe him a debt”]
The limericks are grouped by a classification scheme. The book starts with the most common categories — those that feature locations or proper names in the lead line. It has a few chapters that play with language, twisting it about through misspellings or plays on abbreviations. There’s a chapter that is all tongue twisters. Two of the more popular chapters are toward the end. One is a collection of limericks written by famous writers and personalities, such as: Shakespeare, Lewis Carroll, and Robert Frost. The other features ribald limericks. For many, ribald and risqué is what comes to mind when one thinks of limericks – e.g. “There once was a young man from Nantucket.” This book aims for a general audience, and – therefore – avoids the edgiest of material, but it’s good that they realized they couldn’t dodge bawdy and raunchy material altogether, and still claim to be an overview of the form.
I enjoyed reading this collection tremendously. With so much public domain content, I thought there might be a lot of limericks that wouldn’t land, but – on the contrary – most were clever and fun. If you’re a fan of the form, this book is definitely worth reading. And it’s part of the Dover Thrift Edition collection, so no doubt you can pick it up for a song.
View all my reviews
Share on Facebook, Twitter, Email, etc.
BOOK REVIEW: He Who Fights With Monsters by Francesco Artibani
He Who Fights With Monsters by Francesco ArtibaniMy rating: 4 of 5 stars
Amazon.in Page
Release date: August, 30, 2022
This graphic novel tells a story featuring the Prague Golem, a mighty protector figure from Judaic folklore – formed of clay and breathed to life by magic words. The setting is Nazi-occupied Prague, and the golem is brought to life after a great period of dormancy, having been stored in the rafters of a synagogue, in order to once more act as protector to the Jewish people.
It’s a gripping tale of wartime resistance, but with a flat ending. However, I’m not sure it could have concluded in a satisfying way. That’s the challenge of writing a story of a superhero versus Nazis. The Holocaust is such a colossal tragedy that to rewrite the it resets the book into some alternate reality fantasyland, striking a raw nerve and killing any poignancy in the process.
The artwork is skillfully rendered and captures the grim nature of a city under fascist occupation quite well.
I enjoyed the story, despite not really knowing how to process the ending. Maybe that’s the point, that one can’t turn such mindless brutality into a storybook satisfying ending [by satisfying I don’t mean happy, but rather concluded in the definitive and intrinsically reasonable – if horrifying – way of tragedies.] Still, one is left wondering about apparent changes in character motivation and whether they make any sense — because they don’t feel like they do.
If you’re intrigued by a historical fiction / fantasy mashup set in Prague during the Second World War, check this book out, but expect to be left in an uneasy space at the end.
View all my reviews
Share on Facebook, Twitter, Email, etc.
Luddite Limerick
There was a crotchety old luddite who smashed all technology on sight... 'til he needed Google to look up "centrifugal" else it'd be the bus to the library at night.
Share on Facebook, Twitter, Email, etc.
DAILY PHOTO: Anandpur Sahib Gurdwara
