November 2009

tryptophan coma 

leftovers endless and cold

wake me at Christmas

congress debates it

cable news reports all day

hurry up and vote

Some of the greatest poets of 20th century came out of what was then the Soviet Union. Names like Marina Tsvetaeva and Anna Akhmatova are highly celebrated in modern academic circles, and their words are held up as some of the most inspiring in any language. The days of communism were both a boon and a hurdle to Russian-language writers. The Soviet Union was known for its tendency to strongly censor creative individuals, but it also strongly supported a few who were in the Party's favor. The poet Arseny Tarkovsky, who studied under and among many of the greats of his time, owed much of his career as a professional writer, though he struggled as an artist in a time of oppression.

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delicious kung pao

but stereotypes ensue

hungry again soon

Tomorrow is Veteran's Day in the U.S. and Remembrance Day in much of the former British Empire. When I was a child people wore little red paper poppies in remembrance of the soldiers who served in World War I, especially, as well as later wars. I very much associate this day, and of course the custom of wearing poppies, with the poem "In Flanders Fields" by Canadian ArmyLieutenant Colonel John McCrae, MD.

In Flanders fields the poppies blow
Between the crosses, row on row,
That mark our place; and in the sky
The larks, still bravely singing, fly
Scarce heard amid the guns below.

We are the dead. Short days ago
We lived, felt dawn, saw sunset glow,
Loved, and were loved, and now we lie
In Flanders fields.

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I don't speak Spanish

now the library shall be

forever unfound

Buddhism has paths

Christianity, blessings

all I have is hope