Headquarters and Hindquarters

Alexa, will you,
Explain the HQ
Situation to me?
Of course I knew
You wanted two,
But say, can it be,
That you really need three?

Melville Cane

Speaking of dead poets suddenly coming to my attention, there's Melville Cane.

Apparently he was a lawyer as well as a poet, and was admired in both capacities by Ayn Rand, who I've spent a lot of time studying.

According to this article, "reliable speculation" has it that she was a big admirer of these lines by Cane:

She was not bound by mortal sight,
The stars were hers, at noon.
Against the malady of night
She stood, alone, immune.

It reminds me a bit of "Invictus" at first glance.

Mr. Cane, although published in his time, and award-winning in his time, seems to have zero poetry represented on the web for some reason. He died in 1980, so perhaps his estate is trying to protect his copyrights, or perhaps everything is on the New Yorker site, a step removed from easy viewing.

Meanwhile, I bet,
Few are beating down the paywall door
For a chance to explore
His poetry, just yet.

Kate Light

I was sorry to see that the poet, Kate Light, had died. I had never read much of her until recently, when I picked up a book of hers, "Open Slowly", at the local used book store. She died a couple of years ago, it turns out, at the age of 56.

Anyway, I enjoyed reading this book. My favorite poem was one I don't see anywhere on the net, so I'm going to type it in here. It seems to be part of a series of poems about a man she loved but who was emotionally distant.

Funny, As In a Man,

one man, for instance, trying
to express tenderness with no model to base
his take on it on. How this severe face
struggles to be concerned, to be clear; shying
just short of simply saying what
he wants to say (or does he not
know?) As in a poet explaining, Class,
if you know what you want to say, you
will be clear; and if you don't (sarcasm
here) nothing will help you get through,
not even a room full of anxious coaches.
Funny, as in this man, whom
it happens I feel quite tender towards,
stumbling on his attempts to put into words
kind words. Trying more direct approaches,
a drunken bull in a matador
shop, he's lurching at the spinning room;
searching, looking for a door,
to open into what - one can assume -
would be a wider field, a fuller range.
Look at him. It's kinda funny, I mean, strange.

I particularly liked the altered metaphor, the "drunken bull in a matador shop". That brought me up short. You see, you expect the bull indoors to be heedlessly wrecking things, but it turns out that the indoors location is actually dangerous for the bull.

It's not simply that the man cannot express his feelings, and so wounds his beloved by accident. It's that he believes that if he says the wrong thing he will open himself up to a skewering! I am certain that many men feel that way at times. Many women, too, I suppose!

One interesting aspect is that she seems to be a step removed from his efforts, observing him, as if she too is emotionally distant in her way. She sees him a funny and strange.

It's a bemused, ironic stance
toward her object of romance.

Urban Fauna

I was walking to the drugstore
On a busy downtown street
When I saw a furry creature
Just ahead of my own feet.

At first I thought, how darling,
What can that creature be?
But as I focused on him,
I realized I could see

A rat, a good-sized rat!
It dived right through a grate.
Nobody else had seen him
And now it was too late

To offer him a tidbit
Or maybe sage advice
About which local restaurants
Have food that's extra nice.

Armistice Day

One hundred years ago, the killing paused -
A pause too brief.
For soon enough the world faced the jaws
Of yet more grief.

Possums

Of all American mammals,
They’re our most distant cousin.
They take up less room than camels,
So I’m ordering a dozen.

Parker Solar Probe

Now that most of its travel is done,
It’s going to hang around the sun,
To catch some rays and collect a ton
Of data.

Draw One In The Dark

Finished reading Sarah Hoyt’s fantasy novel, Draw One In The Dark. The title turns out to be old fashioned diner lingo for black coffee. Years ago I knew some of this humorous lingo, although I heard it referred to as Hashhouse Greek.

Anyway, it was an interesting shapeshifter novel, pretty logical on its own brain-straining terms. There’s a softpedaled sweet romance.

Your dating options may seem atrocious and bitter
If you sometimes become a ferocious critter.

Typical Midterm Resultd

An energized electorate has selected...
Massive gridlock, just as projected.

Judgment Slips

Many "how could that happen?" puzzles are solved
Once you're informed that alcohol was involved.

By Their Nature

Children aspire
To bigger and higher.

Unskeletal

Traditionally by Halloween
Lots of trees are bare.
But this year, as is clearly seen,
The leaves don’t seem to care.
Some of them are even green...
Come on, drop down from there!

Bomber

I’m disappointed this is just some isolated loon.
I was hoping for a convoluted conspiracy - and soon!
So I’m starting a rumor that this guy was framed
By some very bad people, never to be named!

Routine But Ouch

My dog had an operation.
She seems to be healing.
Seeing her tail wag again
Brings a wonderful feeling.

Yawn

Took a class on yoga for restful sleep,
But had to wake up to drive home.
I hope my state of relaxation will keep
Ready while I finish this poem.

Did It Again

Once I sign up for a race
I feel bound to do it, just to save face,
But I don’t tell anyone of my plans,
So I wouldn’t be disappointing any fans,
Except the guy in the mirror, who I hope
Won’t think I’m a mope.

Effects

A life is like a a stone
Thrown in a pond.
It goes on rippling
When the stone is gone.

Java Juice

Am I drinking coffee enough?
It’s just one daily cup of the stuff.
But it’s a large, so is that in fact
Two cups stacked?

Rattling

A big supply of rattlesnakes
Really makes
Being trapped in a mine
Exquisitely fine.

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-45893215

Excelling

A proper spreadsheet glories
In hierarchical categories.