It’s time to determine what’s “Genius”—I mean, yes,
The talented people, deserving of grants
MacArthurs, of course—they give dollars to scholars
And artists, and authors, and folks who can dance;
Lawyers, musicians, mathematics, dramatics,
Inventors of this or the other device
Each year, I think “hey—sepielling? No telling!”
Each year, I conclude, “well, it would have been nice” [Read more…]
It is beautiful, it is wonderful, it is… being examined now. You need to watch this!
Watching the media debates about Ferguson, about militarized police, about use of force, about all of it… I am A) depressed, and B) put in mind of C. P. Cavafy’s amazing poem “Waiting for the Barbarians“. Go, read it! (Ok, that’s the English translation; if you want the Greek, here it is.) [Read more…]
This was rubbish! This was horrid!
This was brain-insulting stuff!
This was far too complicated
Or, perhaps, not quite enough!
All the writers should be fired,
With about two-thirds the cast
They could never hold a candle
To the folks from seasons past—
Why, I still remember watching
[Insert favorite doctor here]
And [some previous companion]
From the best and greatest year
This new Doctor disappoints me
Most completely, it would seem
(And you mustn’t get me started
On the credits or the theme)
Yes, my utter disappointment
Makes it difficult to speak…
So expect me here, like clockwork,
To complain again next week. [Read more…]
As the midnight hour was coming,
As the seconds ticked and tocked,
Same-sex couples in Virginia
Found their new foundations rocked
When the SCOTUS, in their wisdom,
Had their right to marry blocked
Till the justices can weigh in on the fight.
While they’re pondering the problem,
I suggest here’s what they do
To reframe the situation
With a new and different view:
Simply block the right to marry
For the heterosexuals, too,
Then we’ll see if it’s a fundamental right. [Read more…]
I wish I could talk to the animals—
To the lions and tigers and bears
To hear all their animal worries
And soothe all their animal cares [Read more…]
Don’t yell at me; don’t call me names;
Don’t tell me I’m a racist pig;
Don’t push me—I’m not playing games—
Resist and you’re in trouble big!
Don’t raise your voice; don’t flip the bird;
Keep quiet, and we’ll get along;
I’m honest—you can trust my word—
Except that I’m completely wrong [Read more…]
“The following alert is not a test”,
The TV said–We knew that they were wrong:
(Black twitter is the Internet at its best.)
When ranks of cops, in riot gear were dressed,
They tried to quell the crowd with this strange song:
“The following alert is not a test!
We urge you to comply with our request!”
“Request”? A lie, but not for long:
Black twitter is the Internet at its best.
The propaganda leaves us unimpressed—
A fading view they’re trying to prolong–
“The following alert is not a test”
But… yes, it is; it measures the unrest,
The inability to “play along”…
Black twitter is the Internet at its best
Black twitter sees the marchers, ten abreast,
As canisters of tear gas hit the throng…
The following alert is not a test:
Black twitter is the Internet at its best [Read more…]
I remember reading a particular issue of Mad Magazine back in the seventies. As it so often did, it included some song and poem parodies, this time on an environmentalist theme. I can recite two of them from memory–one a spot-on Dr. Seuss, and the other a version of the song “America The Beautiful”:
O cancerous, for smoggy skies
For pesticidal grain
Irritated mountains rise
Above an asphalt plainAmerica, America
Thy sins prepare thy doom
Monoxide clouds shall be thy shrouds
Thy cities be thy tomb!
In Ferguson, police are trying to control a situation. On twitter, you can see footage that is simply chilling (here, for instance, pay attention to the trivial detail of where the gun is pointed). More here.
On TV, Robin Williams has died.
In Ferguson, according to twitter, cops are telling people to go home. “We live here!” is the response. “This is our home!”
CNN and Fox are both looking at Robin Williams’s film career.
In Ferguson, according to twitter, police are firing rubber bullets to calm the crowd. To calm the crowd. Gee, and here I thought I’d never have another opportunity to post this lullaby… from a couple of years ago in Oakland… [Read more…]