Incomplete Democracy

"It is to the development, identification, and general prevalence of that fervid comradeship (the adhesive love, at least rivaling the amative love hitherto possessing imaginative literature, if not going beyond it), that I look for the counterbalance and offset of our materialistic and vulgar American democracy, and for the spiritualization thereof. "

-Walt Whitman from Democratic Vistas (1865)

Secrets Defeat The Good

-Speak No Evil, photograph by Ancil Nance ©2002

Click photo to enlarge

What To Do If You Find Yourself Stuck With No Hope of Rescue:

"Consider how lucky you are that life has been good for you so far;

Alternatively, if life hasn’t been good to you so far (which given your current circumstances seems more likely) consider how lucky you are that it won’t be troubling you much longer."

-from The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Universe (2005)
by Douglas Adams
Garth Jennings, Director

On Personal Wealth and Public Stewardship

"Surplus wealth is a sacred trust which its possessor is bound to administer in his lifetime for the good of the community."

-Andrew Carnegie

Son of Man!

In freedom did I conceive thee.
In freedom did I purpose thee;
in living freedom created thy soul.
Live in me.

Son of Man
Bow thou not beneath the tyranny of man,
nor place upon thy neck
the yoke of thine own wayward thoughts
and fashionings.

Son of Man
Keep thy soul.
Free thyself through thoughts that lead to burning truths;
through deeds that liberate true power;
through love that lifts to higher realms of worth.
Free thy soul.

Son of Man
Live thy life creatively
and thou shalt find me living in thee;
living through thee;
living with thee;
living in endless love.
Live in Me.

Son of Man
Live in Joy!

-An American anthem
Music by John Parker
Lyrics by David Lantz
Published by Shawnee Press

Absolute Beauty

..."I guess I could be pretty pissed off about what happened to me but it's hard to stay mad, when there's so much beauty in the world.

Sometimes I feel like I'm seeing it all at once, and it's too much, my heart fills up like a balloon that's about to burst.

And then I remember to relax, and stop trying to hold on to it, and then it flows through me like rain
and I can't feel anything but gratitude for every single moment
of my stupid little life.

You have no idea what I'm talking about, I'm sure.
But don't worry - you will someday."

-Lester Burnham's ending monologue
from American Beauty (1999) by Alan Ball
Sam Mendes - Director

The Mother of My Attitude

Marlene McGuirk Tate Kiziah Edwards (nee Boren)
Photograph by: John G. McGuirk (1935-1970)
Click photo to enlarge

EGOISTE!

Le Sirenuse Hotel - Positano, Italy
Photograph by: Tom Wentling
Click photo to enlarge

Lydia the Tattooed Lady

Oh Lydia, oh Lydia, say, have you met Lydia?
Lydia The Tattooed Lady.
She has eyes that folks adore so,
and a torso even more so.
Lydia, oh Lydia, that encyclo-pidia.
Oh Lydia The Queen of Tattoo.
On her back is The Battle of Waterloo.
Beside it, The Wreck of the Hesperus too.
And proudly above waves the red, white, and blue.
You can learn a lot from Lydia!

La-la-la...la-la-la.
La-la-la...la-la-la.

When her robe is unfurled she will show you the world,
if you step up and tell her where.
For a dime you can see Kankakee or Paree,
or Washington crossing The Delaware.

La-la-la...la-la-la.
La-la-la...la-la-la.

Oh Lydia, oh Lydia, say, have you met Lydia?
Lydia The Tattooed Lady.
When her muscles start relaxin',
up the hill comes Andrew Jackson.
Lydia, oh Lydia, that encyclo-pidia.
Oh Lydia The Queen of them all.
For two bits she will do a mazurka in jazz,
with a view of Niagara that nobody has.
And on a clear day you can see Alcatraz.
You can learn a lot from Lydia!

La-la-la...la-la-la.
La-la-la...la-la-la.

Come along and see Buffalo Bill with his lasso.
Just a little classic by Mendel Picasso.
Here is Captain Spaulding exploring the Amazon.
Here's Godiva, but with her pajamas on.

La-la-la...la-la-la.
La-la-la...la-la-la.

Here is Grover Whelan unveilin' The Trilon.
Over on the west coast we have Treasure Isle-on.
Here's Nijinsky a-doin' the rhumba.
Here's her social security numba.

La-la-la...la-la-la.
La-la-la...la-la-la.

Lydia, oh Lydia, that encyclo-pidia.
Oh Lydia The Champ of them all.
She once swept an Admiral clear off his feet.
The ships on her hips made his heart skip a beat.
And now the old boy's in command of the fleet,
for he went and married Lydia!

I said Lydia...
(He said Lydia...)
They said Lydia...
We said Lydia, la, la!

-From At the Circus (1939)
Performed by Groucho Marx
Music by Harold Arlen
Lyrics by E.Y. Harburg

Choice of Attention

"To pay attention to this and ignore that
is to the inner life what choice of action is to the outer.
In both cases, a man is responsible for his choice
and must accept the consequences, whatever they may be."

-W.H. Auden

What You Realize When Cancer Comes

"You will not live forever—No
you will not, for a ceiling of clouds
hovers in the sky.

You are not as brave
as you once thought.
Sounds of death
echo in your chest.

You feel the bite of pain,
the taste of it running
through you.

Following the telling to friends
comes a silence of
felt goodbyes. You come to know
the welling of tears.

Your children are stronger
than you thought and
closer to your skin.

The beauty of animals
birds on telephone lines,
dogs who look into your eyes,
all bring you peace.

You want no more confusion
than what already rises
in your head and heart.

You watch television less,
will never read all those books,
much less the ones
you have.

Songs can move you now, so that
you want to hold onto the words
like the hands of children.

Your own hands look good to you.
old and familiar
as water.

You read your lover's skin
like a road map
into yourself.

All touch is precious now.

There are echoes

in the words thrown
before you.

When they take your picture now
you wet your lips, swallow once
and truly smile.

Talk of your lost parents
pulls you out, and
brings you home again.

You are in a river
flowing in and through you.
Take a breath. Reach out your arms.
You can survive.

A river is flowing
flowing in and through you.
Take a breath. Reach out your arms."

-From A River Remains by Larry Smith

A Poem;with Love and Awe

..."(i do not know what it is about you that closes
and opens;only something in me understands
the voice of your eyes is deeper than all roses)
nobody;not even the rain,has such small hands"

-From 100 Selected Poems
by e.e. cummings

Quiet Being

"It is not necessary that you leave the house.
Remain at your table and listen.
Do not even listen, only wait.
Do not even wait, be wholly still and alone.

The world will present itself to you for its unmasking;
it can do no other;
in ecstasy it will writhe at your feet."

- Franz Kafka

Song of Solomon 2:15 (KJV)

"Take us the foxes, the little foxes, that spoil the vines: for our vines have tender grapes. "

-The scriptural basis for Little Foxes by Lillian Hellman (1941)

Psych!

"This is one race of people for whom psychoanalysis is of no use whatsoever."

- Sigmund Freud speaking of the Irish

Photographs By:

"For half a century photography has been the 'art form' of the untalented.

Obviously some pictures are more satisfactory than others,
but where is credit due?

To the designer of the camera?
To the finger on the button?
To the law of averages?"

-Gore Vidal

Dry Wit

"I have a fine sense of the ridiculous, but no sense of humour."

From Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? (act I)
by Edward Albee

Crazy Faith

I lit my love and watched it burn;
asking nothing in return
except the lessons I would learn
holding crazy faith.

I've been touched by that bright fire
down to the root of my desire,
while the smoke it rises higher
on crazy faith.

'Am I a fool for hanging on?'
'Would I be a fool to be long gone?'
'When is daylight gone to dawn
on my crazy faith?'

The questions will not let me sleep;
The answer's buried way too deep
at the bottom of a lovers' leap
made by crazy faith.

Love your losing; lose your love.
Let the hawk fly from the glove
and do not search the skies above;
search your crazy faith.

Love is lightning; love is ice.
It only strikes the lucky twice:
once, so you will know the price;
and once for crazy faith.

You're not asking if I love this man...
I know you don't; you don't believe you can.
Yet I've seen love open like a dancer's fan.
It's crazy I know;
but my faith says so-
it tells me.

by Allison Krauss and Union Station
on New Favorite

To Loving Support Among Friends

You and me,
We're the kind of people other people
Would like to be.
Wand'ring free,
We present the kind of picture
People are glad to see.
And we don't care that tomorrow
Comes with no guarantee;
We've each other for company.
And come what may,
You and me, we'll stay together
Year after year,
Won't we, my dear?
That's why we're you and me.

You and Me
From Victor/Victoria
Music by Henry Mancini
Lyrics by Leslie Bricusse