LESSONS OF THE WAR

LESSONS OF THE WAR

To Alan Michell

Vixi duellis nuper idoneus
Et militavi non sine gloria

I. NAMING OF PARTS

To-day we have naming of parts. Yesterday,
We had daily cleaning. And to-morrow morning,
We shall have what to do after firing. But to-day,
To-day we have naming of parts. Japonica
Glistens like coral in all of the neighboring gardens,
And to-day we have naming of parts.

This is the lower sling swivel. And this
Is the upper sling swivel, whose use you will see,
When you are given your slings. And this is the piling swivel,
Which in your case you have not got. The branches
Hold in the gardens their silent, eloquent gestures,
Which in our case we have not got.

This is the safety-catch, which is always released
With an easy flick of the thumb. And please do not let me
See anyone using his finger. You can do it quite easy
If you have any strength in your thumb. The blossoms
Are fragile and motionless, never letting anyone see
Any of them using their finger.

And this you can see is the bolt. The purpose of this
Is to open the breech, as you see. We can slide it
Rapidly backwards and forwards: we call this
Easing the spring. And rapidly backwards and forwards
The early bees are assaulting and fumbling the flowers:
They call it easing the Spring.

They call it easing the Spring: it is perfectly easy
If you have any strength in your thumb: like the bolt,
And the breech, and the cocking-piece, and the point of balance,
Which in our case we have not got; and the almond-blossom
Silent in all of the gardens and the bees going backwards and forwards,
For to-day we have naming of parts.

continues here

found here

Where there's a will, there's a way

Somebody come by my office today, he told me : "Where there's a will, there's a way".
Should I chose to believe ?
(my heart races, my legs tremble, my head tries to stay cool : "- Relax, take it one moment at a time, it says, you will be fine, soon all this will be gone.").

poem a friend sent me

Chickadee by Lee Van Laer From the Hudson River series

Last week
While I walked the dog
Down by the river
The world suddenly rolled up my whole life
And fit it into one chirp
Of a chickadee.

I hadn't known
That it was so small
And easy to encompass.

Had I known that sooner, I might have
Carried it everywhere
Instead of leaving it behind me
As I always do.

fortresses

coragem

Significado de Coragem

s.f. Força ou energia moral que leva a afrontar os perigos; valor; destemor, ânimo, intrepidez, bravura, denodo: lutar com coragem.

trees

be a tree or be a bush...

Malangatana Ngwenya, Untitled. 1961,  Oil on canvas