Strong dimpled flesh in my favorite color
the perfect size for the palm of my hand
peels away revealing chalky off-white veins
and an enticing, refreshing scent
that lingers on my finger tips
I use my thumb to remove more of your coat
and both thumbs to pull you in half
each section the perfect treat
the first bite rewards with refreshing juice
tangy and sweet in unison excite the taste buds
I devour your sections
faster and faster
my fingers become sticky
your peel lays open and empty
sad evidence of my violent
satisfaction
tacet – silent, no part given for a particular instrument or voice during a section of music
When I was a kid little inflatable letter people came to the classroom to teach us our letters.
tie – curved line over or under two notes of the same pitch, notes are sounded once and held for the value of both tremolo – the note is repeated as fast as possible during its duration
In a time when we are avoiding being social, I thought taking a look at Social Studies might be interesting. Social Studies is an educational discipline that includes the study of many aspects or branches of human society including: history, geography, economics, political science, philosophy and psychology.
If you want to learn more about Social Studies there’s a lot of information at PBS Learning Media. There are some cute hip-hop lessons over at Flocabulary. Ted Ed has so many interesting videos. I enjoyed Infinity according to Jorge Luis Borges this morning. The New York Times has set up a Learning Social Studies section. In other words, there is no excuse for not brushing up on our Social Studies.
I did not expect to find this Social Studies while researching social studies.
For fun, I thought I’d share this little combination of Social Studies and the letter T:
The poem
Social Studies at a Distance
Moving along a a one-way street
well-worn and familiar
so familiar your mind wanders;
your journey on remote control
Screeching to a halt
smelling burnt rubber
It’s a dead end
Looking right and left at the unknown
You idle and idle
It’s history repeating, right?
Give me liberty or give me death!
Some cry from their stalled gas-guzzlers
wearing cheap knock-offs of American flags
in unflattering cotton knits
They really mean give me liberty and
I’ll give you death
Not the same
Taking a smaller route
it curves like a hook
Some get stuck on his hook
too sick of themselves to be patient
wanting to run from what they see in the mirror
they listen to the foolish and throw
sense out the window
to see if a neighbor has a racket
to hit it back
On this route you come to a crossroad
perhaps a small cross
since no one else is coming
you get out and sip some tea with your
knowledge and beliefs
and ponder society
what it was and what it might become
you are at the tacet in your opus
and decide to go home and practice your tremolo
before turning to the terrible tarantula
and telling him to
take his tackiness to Timbuktu (sorry Timbuktu).
Netherlandish Proverbs (1559) Pieter Bruegel the Elder
The poem
Pay The Duck
Quit throwing cream into their eyes
and blowing little ducks
the thief has a burning hat
and is pushing the facts with his belly
but the pussy cat will come to the tiny door
We see whose mother is spinning black wool
he’s in a drifting boat with the bark falling off
and he keeps hanging noodles from his ears
but slippery ground does not recognize a king
and the frog in the well does not know the great sea
Did an elephant stomp on his ear
or are his ears lined with ham?
Some still have tomatoes on their eyes
They bought a cat in a sack
who put fleas in their ears
Stop ironing my head
empty barrels make the most noise
out here at the end of the world turn left
because the carrots are cooked
and it’s time to pay the duck
slur – a curved line over or under two or more notes. Played legato without tonguing or changing bow direction staff – 5 lines and 4 spaces on which notes are placed staccato – the note is separated and played shorter with space between notes
Starry Art Deco Arabian Nights (2020) collage and photo by Maria L. Berg
When Maya and I first started Artifact Puzzles, she had the idea of creating a series of smaller puzzles that went together into a large puzzle. She made prints of these beautiful illustrations to Arabian Nights, but even as small puzzles, the dpi of the images wasn’t high enough, so we moved on to other ideas.
As a person who loves stickers and art, I still have those original prints and found a fun use for them today. Since my sister and mother both recently did my Starry Night puzzle (and both complimented the difficulty and the shapes); I had it on my mind.
I pulled the scarf you made
from the cubby in the closet
something sticky found its way
onto its knits and pearls
so I gave it a cool rinse
before rubbing it to my cheek
like a pastel kiss of greeting
then wrapped its curling edges
around my neck and shoulders
like a warm, soft hug
its melange of bright colors
like hours of smiles
and fun conversation
memories of you to
comfort my isolation
quartet – A performing group involving four voices or instruments. A string quartet, consisting of two violins, a viola and a cello, is the most common.
quantize – Quantization is a process used in the production of digital music. To quantize, simply put, is the process by which notes performed by a human are made by the computer to more closely match the tempo and beat of the composition.
This morning, the prompts inspired me to go out for a walk. I wore gloves with the full intention to collect small things I encountered along the way, but once out there, I didn’t want to bring home little bits of plastic or the weird broken vial. The little flowers and squirrels didn’t want to come home with me either, so I collected these pictures and memories of all the sounds.
The poem
The Sound Collector
It starts with the dogs running to the fence barking
they don’t stop after I have passed
as if I was the on button and someone lost the remote
then the squirrels skitter up the pole
one settles at the very top and peers down
while the other chitters at me from over the cylindrical transformer
a couple passes me on the other side of the street
we all say “Good Morning”
the first words I’ve heard today
a large dog’s deep bark echos
its own response
a stimulating conversation
I hear a car coming,
but it never passes me
I am half way around my walking loop
ahead I am surprised by
the beeping of a truck backing up
the prime truck delivers
to my right, a woman clearly says
“Not right now”
from inside her house
she is interrupted by the prime truck backing up
the click of crows feet landing on a roof
and someone opening and closing a door
a cyclist changing gears
speeds by leaning forward in full regalia
the wheels whir
the prime truck beeps, rolling out of another driveway
it drives the short distance across the street
clicks and clacks as the van doors open and close
small birds sing in counterpoint
the prime truck beeps
the gruff neighbor says, “good morning”
the morning dove calls like a sick goose
guggle-guggle–wow, guggle-guggle–wow
the prime truck beeps and beeps and beeps
I’m writing a thank you note
to each drop of rain
falling from the thick grey sky
nestling on the blades of grass
gathering into little streams
wriggling down the windows
a missive of gratitude to
breakfast ice cream
cool sweetness on my tongue
soothing calm down my throat
a chunk of chocolate and toffee
comforting indulgence
pushes away remnants of
last nights anger and hurt
a memo of acknowledgment
for piles of blankets
and stacks of pillows
the soft and the warm and the cuddly
and finally, a special shout-out
to words, all of your words
that will keep me company
today, I am grateful
If we could see the virus one (2020) bokeh photography by Maria L. Berg
I woke up still angry at the guy that came to my door and rang and knocked and knocked until I went up and yelled, “who is it” and he said “pest control.” After yelling, “I don’t need your services,” through the door, I knew he would go next door, so I ran to my backyard and watched him. No gloves, no mask, banging on the door. I yelled, “they don’t want your services either,” and he had the gall to say, “when will they be home? So their on vacation?” What is wrong with people?
I tried to let it go, but I encountered two attempted murderers (in my neighborhood (including coffee nose guy) in under a week. I do feel for people who need to work, but knocking on doors right now to represent pest-control is not only ironic, it’s deadly.
It felt like time to create a virus bokeh filter. I looked at a microscopic photograph of the virus and attempted to get the outer shape, then added wire for those distinctive fuzzy triangles. The wire shifted in this photo, but I still think it’s an interesting first attempt. My idea is to do a series of images outside when the light is right on the water, with the idea of what would we do differently if we could see the virus.
During this pandemic,
with renewed interest in recording,
I have discovered
what was once the most expensive,
latest and greatest,exotic, must-have
spend-your-last-penny-on
equipment, is now forgotten tech
Things change so quickly
in this digital age
though analog is always
better in the ear
tech is a tool to make everything
easier and faster
but greed makes it useless in
under a year
This became clear two weeks ago
when I made Big Ben chime on watervases
I pulled out my M-Audio to record
my stunning accomplishment
to learn that there were no drivers made
since 2011 and those wouldn’t work with my system
Why, humans why? Monsters, why do you do this?
For three days, old chatrooms became home.
I conquered in the end
and believe me, my friend
I am the queen of my empty space
I can’t use Print Music
or my old video games
that I bought with good money
all those years ago
but I can record any noise that I want
and post it to SoundCloud or some other Spot
to give it away for free, I guess
because no one buys music anymore.
natural – The natural symbol alters the pitch of the note to which it is attached as well as any subsequent occurrence of the same note (identical line or space) in the same measure. A symbol placed by a note signifying that the note should be played unaltered as opposed to the sharp or flat of the note. This symbol is usually seen only where an accidental such as a sharp or flat is expected.
ninth – an interval consisting of an octave plus a second
Nocturne – A composition, usually a serenade, to be played at night in the open air. The name “nocturne” has been used by composers for piano and orchestral pieces that suggest some aspect of the night and are usually solemn and contemplative. The first nocturnes were written for piano by John Field in the early 19th-century.
Brisk and cool with a lingering chill
the last swim of summer, I cling to your thrill
all winter long and into the spring
until I can dive into the water again
You are the joy in the song of the bird I keep hearing
a packed house at my show when they are dancing and cheering
like the scent of night jasmine or orange blossoms by the window
a warm soft blanket and a brand new pillow
You are sequins and glitter, crystals and fringe
the seconds before a Stranger Things binge
like rays of sunshine breaking through clouds
and all of the words not said aloud
You are the smile on an old golden retriever
and that guy who said when he looked at me, he heard Dream Weaver
like an exotic delicious taste for the first time
and the rhythmic combination of a great rhyme
You are miso and vinegar on anything
reading aloud from the Lord of the Rings
like finally getting a record player that works
and spending the day playing in dirt
You are a brand new camera technique
and finding an answer that I seek
like heightened senses during foreign travel
or fixing stitches before they unravel
All of this my highest praise
as I wait, perhaps, only a matter of days
for the water to rise and the temperature too
to begin the swims of summer, the journey to you.
Post your favorite poem
It’s open link night at the dVerse Poets Pub, so head over and share a link to your favorite poem you wrote this week. I look forward to reading it.
Today is exciting for me. A day when all of the prompts and my choice for A to Z work together. Dream Music! Yay!
moderato – rather fast melody – succession of musical tones, prominent part contrasted to harmony meno mosso – less motion or speed morendo – a dying away of sound, gradually getting softer until no sound exists
A melody in the key of flight
with a harmony at intervals of cathedral steps
that crescendos like water rushing over a waterfall
dolce tones of feathers falling
diminuendo to cyclopean fermata
a half-step turn reveals the spacious view
palatial glissando into counterpoint
creates the rhythm for a bailecito moderato
and I wake jubiloso
the dream song lingers until morendo
Experience Writing 