When lilacs last in the dooryard bloom’d,
And the great star early droop’d in the western sky in the night,
I mourn’d, and yet shall mourn with ever-returning spring.
Ever-returning spring, trinity sure to me you bring,
Lilac blooming perennial and drooping star in the west,
And thought of him I love.
2
O powerful western fallen star!
O shades of night–O moody, tearful night!
O great star disappear’d–O the black murk that hides the star!
O cruel hands that hold me powerless–O helpless soul of me!
O harsh surrounding cloud that will not free my soul.
3
In the dooryard fronting an old farm-house near the white-wash’d palings,
Stands the lilac-bush tall-growing with heart-shaped leaves of rich green,
With many a pointed blossom rising delicate, with the perfume strong I love,
With every leaf a miracle–and from this bush in the dooryard,
With delicate-color’d blossoms and heart-shaped leaves of rich green,
A sprig with its flower I break.
4
In the swamp in secluded recesses,
A shy and hidden bird is warbling a song.
Solitary the thrush,
The hermit withdrawn to himself, avoiding the settlements,
Sings by himself a song.
Song of the bleeding throat,
Death’s outlet song of life, (for well dear brother I know,
If thou wast not granted to sing thou wouldist surely die.)
5
Over the breast of the spring, the land, amid cities,
Amid lanes and through old woods, where lately the violets peep’d
from the ground, spotting the gray debris,
Amid the grass in the fields each side of the lanes, passing the
endless grass,
Passing the yellow-spear’d wheat, every grain from its shroud in the
dark-brown fields uprisen,
Passing the apple-tree blows of white and pink in the orchards,
Carrying a corpse to where it shall rest in the grave,
Night and day journeys a coffin.
by Rudyard Kipling
Late came the God, having sent his forerunners who were
not regarded–
Late, but in wrath;
Saying: “The wrong shall be paid, the contempt be rewarded
On all that she hath.”
He poisoned the blade and struck home, the full bosom receiving
The wound and the venom in one, past cure or relieving.
He made treaty with Time to stand still that the grief might
be fresh–
Daily renewed and nightly pursued through her soul to her
flesh–
Mornings of memory, noontides of agony, midnights unslaked
for her,
Till the stones of the streets of her Hells and her Paradise ached
for her.
So she lived while her body corrupted upon her.
And she called on the Night for a sign, and a Sign was allowed,
And she builded an Altar and served by the light of her Vision–
Alone, without hope of regard or reward, but uncowed,
Resolute, selfless, divine.
These things she did in Love’s honour…
What is a God beside Woman? Dust and derision!
A college education plays a vital role in paving the way for a successful career. Too often, students of Philosophy, History, Communications, and Art (the list can go on) face adversity in the job market. As a Political Science student I have made it my mission to become a valuable asset after graduation. To do that, I have chosen to learn a critical language to both the government and business arenas.
I considered Arabic, Chinese, Japanese, and Korean. The importance of Korea can not be overstated in the upcoming decades. The fact that no peace treaty was signed with the North, ongoing nuclear and missile testing (North) and our presence of 20,000 soldiers along the DMZ in South Korea, the area will be prominent in our lifetime.
As with any language learning Korean will take practice and patience. The following poem is by Oh Sae-young a Modernist Poet (b. 1942) in South Korea.
Music
by Oh Sae-young
When their leaves have fallen
the winter trees
turn into musical instruments,
instruments
ringing out at the wind’s fingertips
following the notes hanging in the sky. (more…)
Who will beam me up
now that you have gone?
Who can I rely on
to keep me safe,
as my particles
disintegrate?
Now when I board
with my pass
to fly business class,
it won’t be the same.
I’ll still whisper your name
and close my eyes.
But…surprise, surprise;
all my parts will remain
on the aeroplane.
And my wish won’t come true
Because you
have beamed yourself up,
Scotty.
Featured as a first place prize winner in a Writing.Com’s Star Trek Writing Contest in 2007. Maria Quinn an Australian just released a book this year titled Gene Thieves, and is avaiable here.
Jesse Ventura (Navy Seal, Wrestler, and Minnesota Governor from 1999-2003) was on Larry King last Monday night giving commentary on the White House Correspondence Dinner, the disputed Minnesota Senate election, and other things. It appeared Ventura wanted to say his quip of poetry very badly, as he mentioned it three times during his interview.
On the night that Jesus Christ supposedly rose from the dead,
The Navy SEALS shot three pirates straight through the head.
Copyright 2009 by James McGowan. Photos are Copyright by their respective owners, they are listed as Creative Commons, out of copyright, attributed, or my own.
