It’s My 5-Year Blogaversary!!
I’ve been blogging as VirusHead for five years. Wow. My first post: 11/21/2003 The Problem with Fundamentalists
Zen Judaism
A funny little collection of poetic tidbits. Wonderful and delicious. If there is no self, whose arthritis is this? Be here now. Be someplace else later. Is that so complicated? Drink tea and nourish life. With the first sip, joy. With the second, satisfaction. With the third, peace. With the fourth, a Danish. Wherever you go, there you are. Your luggage is another story. Accept misfortune as a blessing. Do not wish for perfect health What would you talk about?…
The Smell of America’s God
“God Bless America” by Harold Pinter, January 2003 Here they go again, The Yanks in their armoured parade Chanting their ballads of joy As they gallop across the big world Praising America’s God. The gutters are clogged with the dead The ones who couldn’t join in The others refusing to sing The ones who are losing their voice The ones who’ve forgotten the tune. The riders have whips which cut. Your head rolls onto the sand Your head is a…
Hokey-Pokey Shakespeare
The Washington Post Style Invitational contest asked readers to submit “instructions” for something (anything), written in the style of a famous person. The winning entry was “The Hokey Pokey” as written by W. Shakespeare: O proud left foot, that ventures quick within Then soon upon a backward journey lithe. Anon, once more the gesture, then begin: Command sinistral pedestal to writhe. Commence thou then the fervid Hokey-Poke, A mad gyration, hips in wanton swirl. To spin! A wilde release from…
Ex-Jehovah’s Witness Raven
Just posted this for my friend and fellow ex-JW Richard. He is blind, so I post his blog entries for him. He has written a number of books that I found helpful, and he has devoted himself to a life in love’s service. He’s a mystic and has all sorts of interesting opinions on a wide range of topics. I really enjoy helping him out in the little ways that I can. When I saw this little nugget, I had…
Happy Birthday Gary Snyder!
My friend Grateful Bear is celebrating the birthday of Pulizer-prize-winning Zen eco-poet Gary Snyder, and I’m joining the birthday party! Happy Birthday Gary Snyder! The Modern Poetry site (Dept. of English, Univ. of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign) has an interesting subsite on him that includes the following: “Conservatism has some very valid meanings,” he says. “Of course, most of the people who call themselves conservative aren’t that, because they’re out to extract and use, to turn a profit. Curiously, eco and…