3 poems from books of hours
sorry bugs
bugs
I grieve when they’re not
where
they should be
say
in the ground
away in the water somewhere
flying
plant
to
plant and seeking shelter where it’s best
they hive
I mean bugs general
any kind
though my local infestation
around
the sink this morning was
small ants so small they might be something
else
and bugs
like reptiles
sometimes birds
have a surprise upon appearing
as
they do
most often without preamble
announcement of any kind
except
to know just after
they arrive
and
yes
the building’s old I rent part of and hardly
looked after
pristine
and the weather has collapsed upon itself from
cold to hot to cool to
I’m not sure what it is
right
now
for having campaigned ‘round the plumbling
over counterwork
sigh
what is that inutile line
why can’t we all get along
well
sometimes
in plague or in invasion
we can’t
do so much either side but endure
sigh
rites of spring
one things about spring
it seems
is many cultures have their special days
maybe not
or
perceived now
because to the north
at least
it seems that with the tilting of the Earth
the other way
with
warmer comes outside life for
those hibernated if in suburban ways
since
when
maybe October or November
as if there were a frame
beginning
lunar years
and
going through midsummer
when the festivals are prominent
Buddhist
Hindu
Jewish
Muslim
Christian
and those are the few I know something of
if not so much beyond
acquaintance
you may name your
own
to share
though this world is more knowing
universally
well
globally
we may take part
in action and respect
as
the observing part of loving
our neighbors
as I believe
all of our codes
apply
and
of course
there are three seasons’ worth to celebrate
in all our special
ways
and
yes
to the south
they have so much to teach by transmission as
we
have need to learn
to enjoy the spiritual rites and
faires along
and
yes
I leave out so many things in
presenting what’s forefront of and
between
such special times
Theodore Edward
and a final thought
to have
though you might have been wishing
I were done
before
but I’m wondering why
we
make cute stories and cute
toys
out of things we have to exploit
or even fear from time
to time
and
I guess it’s human
as is assigned
in
class
to anthropomorphize
to make human out of unhuman fauna
flora
entities and substances here
to wherever
and
who wouldn’t want the option of a teddy bear
except those
maybe
who live near fear of bears
all the time
and
maybe even then
the sun
snowflakes
flowers
mammals
reptiles
from all the batches of things or things
that
seem to go alone
and maybe we fear less with toys
and so
act more knowing when
it’s time
I don’t know
and what for an alternative
geometric
maybe
as in
don’t forget to bring your stuffed cube along
or
rhomboid
or hexagon
c l couch
photo by michael podger on Unsplash
near the jungle
I wrote about the wars
all
the wars
as there are three great ones now
and battles between
nations
besides and civil violent strife
as well
that I guess might be anywhere
I don’t record so much as encourage perspective
mine
yes
though more so yours for I’d like to raise the kind of
conversation that
could matter
that could lead to change
and
yes
I slant the change
desired
as everything is learning
all is bias
objectivity a tool
even
an aim
but not by impulse who we are
or Earth is
or
Earth’s God is
you see
the bias can be wonderful
we learn each other interests
and
agendas
no more hiding
we may think globally in terms of distinerest
which is not
un-interest
or
indifference
rather
a willingness to surrender one’s own interests first
in order to exchange
to have a dialogue
enact a plan that serves however one is angled
then
another
I wrote on war and will do so
again
and especially while wars are with us
which
speaking ecclesiastically
could be a while
a song of peace
after the borning cry
two
lines of contribution from hymns of Scandinavia
maybe reflects the attitude
after one invented destruction for the one
with others
lean in toward
offering
the prize for peace
think of all those who lived and
died
and lived
fighting
returning if returning
one way of the other
there are the poets
who
remember
and we read their work
there are the women and the men who served
beside
creating services
to keep bodies knit a while
at
least for triage
then ideally to get them home
civilian
scientists
inventors
medical people
and
those moved by cause and insight
say
that of Clara Barton or
Charles Drew
or you
or me
and us
contributing
describing
raising thought and feeling about war
frankly to get over it
and
finally to grow into something better
sets of skills and
fondness for the world
for
the alternatives
say
most of all
for peace
c l couch
photo by Zdeněk Macháček on Unsplash
I took the title from something else I was drafting; they are words with many more fine words and engaging notes that make the song “The Lion Sleeps Tonight,” performed by The Tokens and written by Luigi Creatore, Hugo Peretti, George David Weiss, and Linda Solomon, according to Musixmatch
and I suppose the title’s not unique but a few words that anyone might assemble to make a point or set a scene; but I was looking at the song anyway and then, you know, it got in my head the way songs sometimes go winding through, know what I mean?
I worked on other things, shorter things, placid things; but this kept getting to me
Appalachian Communion
not everywhere but somewhere
biscuits and water
that’s
what we have
and bless
the Lord
consume him in our church
at
the time
and
we trust the Lord likes poverty
to set us here
and
accepts the hard bread that we offer with
the water of
same kind we were baptized
in
when
choosing to believe
so keeping faith with his blood and body
best we may
c l couch
photo by Sean Foster on Unsplash
Billboards and signage near the Smokies.
cats are black watch out
we do get superstitious
Friday by number
it’s a pastel day
brushed colors as if painted
by the art-maker
it’s not that haiku are easier except physically to type; while sometimes impulsive, the content often takes as long if not longer than to set down more; I have a friend who says that of Mark, the gospel thought written first because it’s short; my friend (with a related PhD) realizes, as I understand from teaching composition, that writing down is harder than writing out
not that I command haiku (goodness, no); I simply try and learn and try
I’m still struggling for breath—yes, the process for inspiration, I suppose—but I mean literally; someday I’ll be living somewhere else with clearer air to get back some health, while the ongoing issues are the main ones that have to be ongoing (heart disease and such)
I hope each of you is well
thanks for your concerns expressed—and thanks to all of you always
c l couch
photo by Anton Ponomarenko on Unsplash
cat in London home
Friends, acquaintances, blog-readers of many sorts,
I am very sick. My apartment has been filled with mold and milder since the summer. I’ve tried to get some treatment for the place and gotten rid of many things I cannot keep, due to infestation. By now, I’ve run out of time and money. I don’t know what that means except that in my current state I’m probably going to miss all sorts of things I’d otherwise be doing or at least think of doing.
I’ll try to go on posting, though that might change as well.
And I have reported the problem to the landlord who denies there’s a problem and then raised the rent. Penalty for complaining, I suppose.
Guess that’s it for now. If you continue being in touch, I shall be glad. I’ll simply be worse at responding than usual.
I’ll be letting you know, of course, when things should change.
Thank you
Christopher
(c l couch)
2 haiku for Minnesota
what is it we need
the warmth of peace most of all
Minnesota iced
know there’s loss of life
anger with the fear in that
to pray and protest
c l couch
photo by Blake Harbison on Unsplash
Lake Superior Lighthouse
Minnesota, United States
there will be
there will be
no sorrowing there
Jesus
himself has gone before
to take a cross
to set it down
maybe horizontally to make
a bridge
between
God and us again
as
at Eden
he
for he and she
went through the valley
first
and shall come back
maybe
by angel agents representing
either way
we shall go through
and at the start
or
in the middle
or at the dale’s ending
we shall be told
we may
set our crosses down
no longer needed
since
there will be no longer
any
sorrowing there
c l couch
photograph by The Walters Art Museum of the ink-and-color work of Ishiwata Koitsu “Twilight at Imamiya Street, Choshi 1932” via Unsplash
today’s reason
I write
to distract symptoms
of
hard breathing
and pain in various systems
I could say
it’s counting age or ongoing heart
disease
but
this is new infection based on
where I live
I have a place and pay for it
and now
need another
feeling
old
disabled
poor
which could be the a place though
it’s definitely me
c l couch
photo by Sam Haddad on Unsplash
a study in scarring
1
my lower back hurts
that’s honest
from what
I can guess of all
the movements I have made
though
I am not inside my back
can’t calibrate or re-calibrate
the muscles
without knowledge
on location
what
to apply to help the most
x-rays might help
and medical people to interpret
and
prognose
but we say such pain will go away
as I am saying to myself
just now
and I’ll be right
and should there be a legacy
a favoring of hurt
within
my back
well
I won’t know
so should I call
and
doubt I will
I see doctors enough for more vital
reasons
and I did mention this yesterday
to the nurse who sympathized
but didn’t offer more
and
did I ask
I didn’t
and I’m wondering about pain
and then to anger
because I could get angry
over
something
someone
why didn’t the solution I purchased
that the basketball player
promoted
work better
if at all
why are our backs made
so fragilely
after all
I mean in the beginning
with Genesis
and all
then
why is the world the way it is
and
shouldn’t I get angry at unequal
injustice
anyway
and for a style
and if there were reins
I could pull back
to indicate
that pain might be the reason for all anger
but
in my back is not enough
combining every pain
not world-enough
either
sigh
but mine and all the rest
well
so I want
to say something about anger from pain
how pain is the root
of
all of it
like sin for pride
though can we say all pain
is sin
and I’m unsure that we can
but the angry person we avoid
while
the hurtful we may approach even
with better luck to help
and
the irony in
knowing these are
the same
and
hmm
something to ponder while I hurt
and in all the ways
then to consider
what my attitude
leading
to my actions
well
shall be
and
yes
we can admit we hurt
and there’s a measure given
and the hurt
shall go away except
it doesn’t
then pain to anger and maybe
to hate
and I can only hope it doesn’t go so far
but
it is a hateful world
and so I must
wonder
as if to wander from
hurt to anger and
to hate
and then from hate to anger
then to who is hurt
by cause
and how
and now what
2
and now I’m thinking on it
(the now
what
from pain)
I have to think on scars
I have scars from falling
and from wounds
more so
that nature caused
and there are scars
on backs
and how they go there but through beatings
by injustice
torture by order
subjects
soldiers
slaves
especially the enslaved
victims all
which is a different kind of pain
I think
a hurt with reason to move to anger
and to hate
and should we not hate injustice
and
I think we should
and then in progress
I must think
what
of love
what is the loving thing to do
well
not
to use the lash
in the first place
but
it happened and now what
goodness
are there ways to love the lashed and also
love the lasher
even the victims might be challenges
as I
could know
say
to love the lashed and let them speak
let them tell
the story of themselves
and
how they fell in a world with the unscarred
should there be any
yet
leave time for that truth in things
to treat the victim
as any other
meaning individual and special
specially made
and even
for a special purpose
and so
too
brought
to justice treat the lasher
maybe punishment
yet these are made by God as well
and yet
goodness
(in the second part
again)
how
to love these
and we may
if by confusion and uncertainty
in faith we may love these
as well
for well
all around
c l couch
photo by Inge Poelman on Unsplash
(a pun in English at the end with "well" and "well,"
which might not translate--sorry)
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