L'aura del Campo

Jefferson's Quran; Poem: 'Response'; Wabi? Sabi?

L'aura del campo

EARLY WINTER?: 4 Sharaf (3 January) 47º and sunny.

'é a lua, é a lua, na quintana dos mortos'
♣ Federico García Lorca ♣

Beautiful sunny day and reasonably mild. Well it is! I could use the same entry most days this winter. Where did winter go? We've had 2 inches of snow ... maybe and Western Kansas had 30 inches last week and cold. We've had nights above freezing? Pinch me.

I'm at Aimee's trying to write out this entry and do some reading (Robert Jordan's 'Knife of Dreams'). Hmmm. Said something like this on Monday. Could it be that I'm bored? Yep.

Wednesday and folks that meander around WdC ARE BAAAAACK . They've been hiding, I swear ...

Me? Not that energetic. I am hoping I'm not catching bronchitis again. Well, I wrote THAT 2 days ago and nothing has changed. It isn't bad enough to go to the doctor's. I do try to take it easy. Maybe too easy.

This is a lament I wrote after opening up Scripture and reading the first thing I saw:

Response

How can this ox carry me with my weight of loss and sorrows?

- Let go your memories.

How can this horse bring me to You clad in the armor of wealth?

- Let go your poverty.

How can this eagle soar with my complaints of bone and flesh?

- Let go your breath.

How can I dive into Your Mysteries and find the Ocean of Truth?

- Let go your knowledge.

Then with nothing will I hasten to Your Sanctuary?

- There find My Light.

[163.539] In response to Hidden Words of Baha'u'llah, Persian #8: http://reference.bahai.org/en/t/b/HW/hw-81.html

Catching up with friends and family ... slowly. Have tried to reach my Aunt Dot for 4 days ... not good; bothers me tremendously. Note 1/4: She called! Here phone was unplugged. Thankfully I didn't call her daughter!!

But ... Donna called from Oklahoma and I have her number again! Yay !! Wished Gare a Happy New Year. Left messages for Cory and my cousin Allen. My cousin Stephen sent me a picture of my Aunt Ivaloo. So I need to post it here as soon as I clean out part of my port.

Made black eyed peas on New Year's Day for my friend Hub. Need to cook up some more. I used ham hocks and toasted some cornbread in butter. I used to cook ... once upon a time.

Well, others are just doing what they do ... Saw Shaun for the first time in a year after Tracy's death and his rehab. Chris got some money so he's the best friend of the alley drunks today. By tomorrow he may be penniless and starting to sober up. If so, I'd like to go to the museum with him. It's been awhile and it would been more fun than going alone. Ray gave me a British pound. I didn't realize it had writing about the edge: NEMO ME IMPUNE LACESSIT. Nice little coin (from 1984, I think that's when Ray Ray was born)

More of those pesky 41 untitled musings. These are based on Japanese poetic concepts:

Utamakura: Where the sun sets there are none;
we are too young and thoughtless. [532f]

Sabi: after fifty years
even the cold north wind’s a welcomed caress. [532g]

Renga:
from my father’s father, a gift of language;
from my father, a hearty smile.
What will I pass on to you? [533a]

Mujoo: the pin oak was a champion;
now no stump remains. [533b]

Kikoo bungaku or nikki bungaku:
this journal of my life,
a long road to travel day by day. [533c]

Kigo: what season is it when the heart bleeds
pine sap,
cherry,
moonbeams,
chrysanthemums? [533d]

Haikai: hushed laughter of the willow or the warbler
deep in snow beneath the pines. [533e]

Haibun: the rasping voice deserves to be heard
as well as the nightingale’s. [533f]

Teimon, Danrin, Shoomon:
to what school does my verse belong?
Only my own. [533g]

Wabi: first the hair, then the teeth;
simplicity like detachment
gets easier the less I have. [533h]

Watt's Gnu: Jefferson's Qur'an

Seems that Thomas Jefferson had a copy of one of the first translations of the Qur'an (Koran) in English. It is now owned by the Library of Congress and will be used Thursday to swear in a congressman to the U.S. House of Representatives. And there-in lies the rub. Some folks want to make this an issue.

What issue? It should be a non-issue ... Keith Ellison, a new congressman from Minnesota is Muslim. Big deal. He is sworn in on the Qur'an. Big deal. Since when are Jews and Christians of a certain ilk the only ones allowed to hold public office and serve the people? When this country becomes the "Great Christian Republic of ..." it will be a very sad day ... and time for me to leave to a place where diversity is embraced. I'm getting too old for this intolerance nonsense. I can already sing 'O Canada' in tune!

http://www.cnn.com/2007/POLITICS/01/03/congressman.quran.ap/index.html?section=c...

There will be a Muslim sitcom on Canadian TV coming out (I don't know when). Doubt it will be shown here in the U.S.

Boise State Broncos: not a serious issue at all, but should the Broncos receive votes for #1 in football if Ohio State looks bad against Florida? Just stirring up the NCAA/BCS mud. Someone has to

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 Kare Enga