Wednesday, January 25, 2012





Worthless Words
(by R.P.Edwards)

Words that woo
Are wonderful things
They draw the lover...near
But with time, and lies
Now "words" despise
Save these
"Get out of here!"


My thoughts on the President's State of the Union address? Didn't listen to it.  Didn't care to. Didn't want to. Sure, I was at work--that would have been a good excuse to excuse ("Excuse" [noun and verb] is an example of a "Heteronym," words that are spelled the same but have different pronunciations and meanings. Did I know that? No. I just looked it up) but, with a little effort I could have garnered a line or two but, frankly, honestly, after over three years of "deeds"...I cared not a whit what silky sentences were uttered by our chief executive.

Again, I have no personal animosity towards President Obama.  And yes, I acknowledge his skill in the media's measure of worth...speech.  But, alas, his actions are as the overpowering industrial noise of my job; they drown out all but the most deliberate utterances.

On second thought, did I listen to the State of the Union address? Yes...I, over the last three years have listened to it; seen it; felt it; travailed over it.  And, the State of the Union is, unquestionably...dire.  I only hope that the majority of Americans, this coming November, are not so, AGAIN, enthralled by the rapturous wrapping paper...that they forget to look into the empty box.

****


Thursday, January 12, 2012

Our betters (Not!)


Who owe we?
(by R.P.Edwards)

Tell me, Sir
Who owe we?
The lofty
or
The less
Those who speak with eloquence 
Or those who beat...the breast
Those from Ivory towers
Or those who bend the knee
Tell me, Sir
For freedom's sake!
To whom
The debtors
We?
Now, some would say
The former
Who rule the words
And waves
Who view themselves
As masters
All others
Merely
Slaves
But I contend the latter
Who grasp the ancient thread
That ties them to Creator
Whose power
Raised...the dead


The question, sent by a viewer, carefully coddled and displayed affectionately before the Republican candidates for President at a debate last week. Thus: 

"Given that you oppose gay marriage, what do you want gay people to do who want to form loving, committed, long-term relationships? What is your solution?"

After going down the line--each "debater" gently offering a palatable defense of the sacred institution of traditional marriage--former speaker, Newt Gingrich, offered this addendum:

"Since we're spending this much time on these issues; I just want to raise a point about the news media bias. You don't hear the opposite question asked [he then listed difficulties that certain Catholic institutions had and have encountered because of their stand on traditional marriage, and then he concluded with]...the bigotry goes both ways, and there's a lot more anti-christian bigotry today than there is concerning the other side; and none of it gets covered by the news media."

Now, the reason for this simple piece--as the primaries amble on--is that there really is an adversarial force to be recognized and reckoned with. It's a body of believers, if you will, that preach a gospel quite foreign to the faith of the founders; quite distant from the traditionalists whose long ago contributions in blood in treasure secured the ease and idleness of this present age that has spawned, from godless institutions (whose beginnings were not so), the reprehensible persuasion that those with the "media microphone"--whose appearance is appealing, and words wooing--that these somehow "know" right from wrong; good from evil; truth from error.  Truly, they often do not.  But, since they "own" much of the communication venues...theirs is the filter through which sympathetic "choices" are often given preference.  And so...we decline a bit faster.

Now, I'm not offering a solution.  Just a hope that we be a bit wiser in the future and, since much that has been "championed" by the chosen is now proving to be without foundation; perhaps more than just we conservative types will be less apt to ascribe wisdom to the polished prose and purrings that gush from the biased media.

I recall writing a poem a couple years back concerning the influence of the media.  For your enjoyment:


4 + 5 = 0
(by R.P.Edwards)

The fourth estate
The column…five
A champion…that takes a dive
Depending on objective words
Instead…a swooning sound is heard
And we, the bearers of their lack
May never have our nation back
For Murrow’s children
Gone astray
Espouse “their” whims
Their preference…say
The heralds voice
A barkers jive
The fourth estate
Now…column five


Here's a link to hear Newt's remarks:  Media Bias



Tuesday, January 3, 2012

Iowa Caucus Coffee








Caucus anyone?
(by RP Edwards)

Through the grinder
Through the mill
Through the gauntlet
Through the still
Through the fire
Through the blade
Iowa Caucus
Sausage
Made



Their names were Kopi and Luwak and, aside from residing on the island of Sumatra in the mid nineteenth century, these two teenagers were much the same as the modern versions; curious, mischievous, seeking--by nature--to bend the established rules and push, whenever they could, past the line of "don't do it!"  However, unlike the nearly know-nothings of today, these strapping young lads had no electronic gizmos to occupy their "not mature by a long shot" brains and, thankfully, no illicit drugs to skew their path towards normal, boring, adulthood.  However, just because there were no "mind-bending chemicals" readily available (indeed, only the nearby Dutch plantation had any "spirits" of consequence [heavily guarded]), these, never-the-less, were not beyond popping something in their mouths to see if a "buzz" was possible.  And this, dear reader, is the real story of how partially digested coffee beans were harvested from Civet droppings and transformed into one of the most expensive, and exquisite, coffees of the planet.
_______

Yes, of course the above story is a fiction (or is it?) But, the "Civit coffee" (also known as 'Kopi luwak') does indeed exist and, as a notable novelty, one of my sons bought me 2 ounces of the stuff as a Christmas gift.  The price? Thirty five dollars!  And, although I cringe at the thought of it's pre-roasted journey, I will, someday soon, carefully brew the treasure and offer a sip to all present.


By now many of you remember that this very same coffee had a prominent place in the not-too-long-ago movie titled, The Bucket List.  Staring Jack Nicholson and Morgan Freeman as two death-bound cancer patients, these two polar opposites constructed a list of "must-dos" before they each...kicked the bucket.  One item on the list was "Laugh till I cry."  This was achieved when Freeman's character pointed out to millionaire Jack that the coffee he insisted on...came from a jungle cat's butt.

So, today is the day of the much anticipated Iowa Caucuses.  And, dear reader, the whole process; the terrible, inhumane, sometimes brutal and downright nasty process where one goes from candidate to office holder, well, it reminded me of the exotic coffee with the rude beginnings.  I dearly hope, when all is said and done, that the final "product" is as refined and revered as the coffee from Sumatra.


Ever wonder what possessed someone to "try" the coffee-beans in the first place?  Wiki knows


That amusing clip from the movie "The Bucket List." Just one nasty word to deal with.