'k y'all, it's a ghazal

We haven't made a poem for a long, long time. I came across a ghazal a few months ago and thought that it might be a form we could try here. It's fun because it's unrelated couplets with a uniting theme. The form reminded me of the Thanksgiving haikus.

It took me some time to figure this one out, but the beginning stanza requires the refrain repeat in lines one and two of the couplet along with the "rhyming" word. The couplets should stand on their own and be able to be taken out of context and understood, but the couplets should also thematically tie together. So I started with the first two couplets.

You should follow the pattern of the second couplet. Your second line should contain a word that rhymes with "you" and "grew" followed by the refrain "more than me". (I would ask that you attempt to make you couplets of similar length to the first two, though it's not absolutely required). I did a poor job developing a theme, but it'll be more fun that way-- you know developing one together as we go along.

Please finish the poem through comments. (it's just two lines. it'll be easy. it will make linda jean happyish).

My memory is a sieve. So if you lied, said "you knew more than me"
Even though I thought it untrue, I'd believe you knew more than me.

In a dream through a window I showed Martha Stewart the snow peas
Blooming and vining nearby because it seemed she grew more than me.

What's left from my rant about extremism after I delete all content which might be offensive to anyone

There are very few things about which any one person is always right ( you will note how my blanket statement is couched in language that allows you to believe that you are right all of the time if that's what you'd like to believe).

The cryptic idealist

You must embrace your inner idealist in order to admire yourself in the way that you admire others. The idealist must be optimistic and confident. The idealist must not merely espouse ideals in words, but must cleave to ideals through actions. If the idealist never acts he is confronted with his own hypocrisy daily, and daily despises himself a little bit more as the days of his life pass. Finally, it appears that the idealist should be drinking Fat Tire.

links and thinks

I found this story link on the Poetry Foundation's website. I thought that I ought to share it, not to elicit comment favorable or negative, but because there are things that astound me and this story is full of many of those astounding things.


Another link found on that site is a commencement address that segued my mind into thinking about the novel Infinite Jest which I (finally) finished reading a couple of weeks ago. The gist of the address is to not let your mind settle for the easy entertainment and to present it with lifelong challenges. The novel is mildly futuristic; it is more similar to the present than it is dissimilar. The idea of being happy and being entertained have become inseparable. (I could talk in more detail, but you'd get bored having not read it (or if you have read it perhaps we should have a cup of coffee))(and I'm not suggesting you necessarily read it. It's long, gruesome at times and doesn't have an "ending"--which may have ruined the ending for you)(I'm not suggesting that you not read it either. It's insightful and amazing). I know that in a single day I probably hear 10 SNL or Seinfeld references in a day... I wonder what would be different if I heard 10 references to some literary classic every day--would the world be more enlightened or just making different allusions?

5 things I dig about the son

I've been invited to join in a meme by Shauna...
5 things that I dig about Jesus:
1. The Sermon on the Mount. Thousands of years after it was given it still baffles, challenges, encourages, and offends.
2. Incarnation. It's a God-sized dream in a human flesh.
3. The woman caught in adultery. He forgives without giving an inch about what is right or wrong.
4. The calling of Andrew and Simon. Put down your nets and I'll make you fishers of men. I always wonder whether they really understood what he meant, or if it was just the need to follow him that compelled them.
5. Eternal love in the crucifixion. Once, forever, without limit, he demonstrated love.

Now I'm supposed to tag others: lobiwan, betsyann, mllr, malh, and jo.

Some highlights from the last week

There is such a thing as too much time in a car. My entire last week was spent watching the highway lap the miles. I arrived home last night and my luggage is still on my living room floor. I'm afraid that if I gave you a completely detailed retelling of the week you would be as bored as I was at times. So here is a list of highlights:

1. Alton, Kansas-- Russell Stover was born near here. I bought 2 scarves and 2 pairs of earrings (I lost one of my blue earrings somewhere between Jen's car and the LB brewery in Hays, Kansas). Bet, Ab, An, and I saw the Alton Bluffs, and An danced to a polka band. Finally, the cats of Alton were spotted on multiple occasions and once they stopped and looked at me. If you know anything about myth and folklore, you know that I enjoy being there for its advent. When the Alton cats looked at me, I was quite certain that I would be under a blanket of good fortune for some time. It's worth the trip to Alton for their stares of fortune.

2. Mass in Downs-- This is goofy, but the thickly accented priest explaining that "mass is not a Marilyn Manson concert" is a church message I will remember much longer than most.


3. Comments for my first conference where I refer to the the poem "The Cremation of Sam McGee" and being unable to listen because of the climate control. It was too cold to even think.


4. The glass of wine with dinner on Monday night.


5. Eighth Day Books. I got to buy some poetry (Ranier Maria Rilke, Kenneth Rexroth, and Jane Hirshfield) books and spend time with Mary.


6. A surprise exploration trip with Marg. I had Wednesday off from conferences and we explored the bridges of Cowley County. The bridges are scattered throughout the county on dirt roads in difficult to find locations. We drove some rough roads and should thank Jo's Rav 4 for the ride. I also got to partake in one of my favorite simple pleasures: skipping rocks.


7. The rock climbing wall in the silo. It's amazing the things that can be conceived and accomplished when you are a family of daredevils and mechanical minds.


8. The mental adjustment for the second conference I attended, which was not law related. So many buzz-words: framing, social-math, toxic stress, facilitating.


9. The last day of the conference our groups were supposed to give a mock presentation where we used the framing tactics and social math we had learned. One group used Dorothy and the Wizard of Oz characters for an analogy and the facilitators were delighted with using a familiar and local story for the presentation. Someone in our group then suggested we use "In Cold Blood" for our familiar story.


10. Gallery Walk in Hays where I viewed art exhibits. I think the silhouetted face made of fabric eyelets was my favorite.

11. Watching Persuasion with Jen because of the quiz from Shauna's blog which said that I was Anne Elliot(What Jane Austen character are you?). I am not certain that I agreed, though there were some unfortunate similarities, namely her uncertainty about herself. The character changed during the movie... (don't chastise me for not reading it).

12. An evening at the Brass Rail in Hays. As an adult it's nice to have the opportunity to spend time with the people your dear friends are dating (even if he is playing Ms. Pacman and talking about alpacas).

13. Lots of time to think. The time was good with loads of new ideas.



One other note is that I drove through Greensburg. It is a devastating sight. Please continue to support this community in whatever way you can.

Highlights in picture

I hate to disappoint anyone if they were expecting a box of chocolates at the welcome center, but it's worth the drive just for a picture of the sign.

This is actually my own backside inside the silo climbing. I don't know that I got much higher than this, but I still think rock climbing is pretty fun (more fun on a rock, of course).

This is blurry, but gives you an idea of what my brother-in-law's family created. This is my nephew Spencer.

The Bridges of Cowley County

This was our first bridge. It wasn't stone, but at last we had discovered a listed bridge! It was on a paved road and was built in the 1940s.

The actual stone bridges that we discovered were difficult to find. There is a guided tour that you can go on in the spring and fall, but I wouldn't have gotten so scratched and bruised from the inside of a bus.
This was the spot where I skipped rocks. I could have stayed at that spot longer I think. Maybe we'll bring a picnic lunch next time.

In need of some practical advice

I dropped a hair clip down my bathroom drain this morning. It's a smaller brown claw-clip. It is wedged in the drain. I tried to grab the item as I watched it drift in seeming-slow motion, but my reflexes were too slow. I attempted to pull it out with a nearby tweezers. I merely drove it further down. I then tried a longer knife only to shove the claw even farther away from me. Fortunately, I have no brown fashion plans requiring a brown hair accessory. It is currently wedged somewhere before the pipe curves and is still visible to the naked eye. I am thinking that a needle-nosed pliers might be the proper tool, but that would require a trip to a store and spending money on tools. I do not believe the object is far enough along in pipe labyrinth to gain anything by unscrewing the pipes underneath the sink and if you've ever done this you know the smell involved in such an undertaking. I'm environmentally aware enough to realize that the plastic claw will never biodegrade. Does anyone have any other suggestions?

Highs in the upper 70s-- what else could I do?

I have not seen all of the entries vying for "wonder"status in the 8 wonders of Kansas competition. I haven't even received any campaign materials from these places, but after viewing the Kansas Cimarron National Grasslands, I'm going push it a little. No, you shouldn't vote for it if you've never visited, and I would guess that not many people have visited. I had never been there until this weekend which is strange since it is relatively close and highway 54 (like a good defensive football tackle) gives you the advantage of the angle. A lot of the nominations will beat the Cimarron Grasslands based on name recognition. We should never vote based on name recognition, but rather educated opinion. You should read about this place too-- it's too big an area for me to do it justice.

flowers and hives

I had almost resolved not to go this weekend owing to my life requiring a great deal of driving over the next two weeks. However, when I realized what a perfect day it was going to be and how it wouldn't be this perfect again for a very long time, I decided to pack lunch and get on the road. I believe that the wildflowers this year are unusually abundant, and they probably won't be around much longer, once the sun begins its summer blazing. With regard to photography, I threw caution to the wind (which was surprisingly, and sadly absent in the late morning when I arrived). The second photo left me with hives. As soon as I laid on the ground I realized that there was a goodly amount of russian thistle growing. Not everyone has an allergic reaction to it, but I was still itchy after I got home. If you live anywhere in western Kansas you are aware that the yucca blooms are out of control this year. There were many yuccas with blooms drooping down because of the weight.

Santa Fe Trail Companion Trail

On of the marked hiking trails at the park is a Santa Fe Trail Companion Trail (catchy!) Alas, on the trail the post rocks I encountered were confusing because the marker sign you see here was completely worn off. There was a map at the beginning of the trail that sent you in the general direction, and though I suspected the random post were probably significant I was never sure that I was actually on a "trail". I remembered what was written in the trail log book by the last person who had signed before me: "GOOD LUCK!"
I followed tracks like this on a few occasions only to have them lead me to oil wells. I was confused often. The trail is pretty long and I didn't come close to even taking a chunk out of it.
I will call this the whiny part of my trip. I was definitely in need of a companion for this stretch to keep me motivated about hiking and also to listen to me whine. As it was I reached a stagnant, mosquito laden pool near a windmill and turned back. If you choose this hike bring someone with you. I know that it gets better based on the other post rocks that I saw. The portion I hiked wasn't bad either, it's just I wanted to see more of what I had seen on the drive getting here. I did see a white-tail deer that would stop to watch me when I would stop to watch her. I don't think I'd ever seen one in the wild because if I had, I'm pretty sure that I would remember. They are beautiful. Also, it is amazing that you are walking along the Santa Fe Trail, but as it was with me in school when I studied history, I need to be reminded to appreciate things.

This pump nearly brought me to tears

Afterwards I wanted to fill my water bottle. I tried to pump it for a long time and was completely defeated. I needed to be taller or heavier. This pump defeated me.
My water supply was replenished with two swallows. I was cranky. I left this place and headed to road 600 where another trail was located and the recreation park. At the recreation park I found about 100 people. It was so surprising after spending the first few hours only seeing park staff and ranchers. There are a few little ponds and the Cimarron River. I didn't really go and investigate very closely, but it looked like the folks were mostly fishing. I saw someone drive down with jet skis, which seemed excessive, but maybe there was more than I could see. I walked a little beside the river and saw a lot of snake tracks. I hadn't even thought about snakes really. My Dad expressed relief that I hadn't been bitten while I was there. I made an extra stop on my way home(Wagon Bed Springs) and heard a story about a doctor who died after getting bit by a snake near the Cimarron River. I should have been a bit more aware of the possibility is all.

The cottonwood and her seed

The cottonwood tufts were everywhere along the river and also in this spot called something bland like "middle spring"(every point of interest on the grassland was named something forgettably bland. I tried to look it up, but I was unsuccessful). It was in this area that I saw the enormous cottonwood (though I'm told there is a bigger one in somebody's backyard). I also found another pump, which was easy to work and I refilled two water bottles in half the time it took me to get two swallows out of the other pump.

I wondered if I could photograph the ridiculous amount of tufts floating in the air. I was pleasantly surprised by this picture.

Point of Rocks

Point of Rocks (it's descriptive, stop criticizing).

Various views of the Cimarron Grassland's "money shot". Everything you read on-line about it will have a photo of this spot. It's no wonder, you can see it for miles a way and in a land of few landmarks, it stands out. When I first arrived and I was planning to turn right on Road 700, I struggled when I saw the point of rocks in the distance requiring a left turn onto Road 700. It is a lovely place and at the top of this point you can see a good deal of the river and get an idea of where you are going. A pretty important feature for groups of people traveling in wagons. I enjoyed hiking here and it was a great spot to finish my day. No more crankiness, I was just happy that I got out of bed and on the road.

Final Perspectives

I felt like I would be happier with bigger feet. It was muddy here so instead of walking around the cattle guard I walked over it.

This was the last stop on my trek of the "Santa Fe Trail Companion Trail".

I love empty highways.