A VERY OLD BOOK

Riffing off an Amazon review title, I so propitiously encountered.

A VERY OLD BOOK

Reader beware, herein lie
Monsters of dastardly mien,
You may be captured, captivated,
Made prisoner for the space
Of these many pages.
I would not read it were I you,
I did not, in truth, finding its words
Many syllabic, poetic, strange
To my modern eyes and sensibility.
It seemed akin to Dickens, Emerson,
Perhaps Poe and Thoreau, whom
I thought all left in the distant past
When what I read was for lessons,
Not for pleasurable entertainment
Initiated on my fancy whim or choice.
No, dear reader, hear, hear,
This tome is best left shoved
To the back of the shelf, covered
In ages, layers of sooty dust,
Let it be, let it lie, you have no need
Of it, nor would ever I, it is a burden
To be left without perusal alone.
Do not open the covers, do not see,
What treasures I could not ascertain,
Join me in my startling refrain
This is a VERY OLD BOOK,
Herein lie dastardly monsters
Of highly developed vocabulary,
Read At Your Own Dire Risk.

Five Reads Reviewed

Seveneves by Neal Stephenson is 880 pages and engrossing. It is a space odyssey written by one of the most engaging writers of our time. Ever thought about what would happen if the moon ceased to exist in wholeness?

A Touch of Darkness by Scarlett St. Clair was a book I read 75%. My reason was graphic and gratuitous sex. I cannot go for that.

Mine by Robert R. McCammon is 516 pages. A book by a horror virtuoso that some may have missed. His work is in the same league as Stephen King, Dean Koontz, and Anne Rice.

Writing the Life Poetic by Sage Cohen is 301 pages and has excellent exercises which will get one writing. She covers a lot of material in this short treatise.

Tyll by Daniel Kehlmann is 353 pages set in the time of kings, queens, knights, and jesters. Tyll is an interesting character with a bit of magic attached.

I read these books in June and give all of them five stars except A Touch of Darkness which did not suit me. If you like that sort of thing, it is a fine example.

I have read sixty-eight books this year, and I have to catch up with posting them.

Tuesday

It was an interesting day my friends. It started early, so I stayed up all night.

I went to the Ford dealership and got the reset I hoped and prayed for without having to pay.

The Explorer did not pass emissions. I was informed if I drove fifty miles at 55, it would likely pass later. (Have you gone 55 on an expressway lately? I felt like I was sitting still.)

Before trekking off, I stopped at Chick-Fil-A (Also known as God’s Chicken Place) for brunch. I sat there in an empty dining room, reading the NYT on my phone and crying over the news. Get your Covid shot, everyone.

The manager at BAM was my friend, so I stopped at the mall. I walked through Dillards and was accosted by a dress of Scarlett O’Hara Curtain Dress GREEN. A salesperson and I discussed it: beautiful design, but all out of my budget. If only!

My friend no longer works at the book store, but the staff knows me, so we chatted. I managed to leave without buying anything. (This is an incredible accomplishment for me, especially since the latest by Stephen King tried to wend a way into my hands.)

I drove to my hometown. I stopped and photographed my “Church in the Wildwood” and the Little White Church on the Hill. Both of these had hosted weddings of mine. I also stopped by the house I was buying when my world skidded into the deep.

The trip had not run up fifty miles, so I got back on the expressway and headed in the opposite direction. Everything on the road passed me. The trucks that appeared to have eating my rear bumper as their appetizer in mind, were a bit frightening.

When I returned to my home exit, I stopped at my cellular provider because my phone did not do data well, nor phone service. The young lady said she probably could not help. A male customer had just cursed her out for the same issue with the same make and model phone. I apologized to her for his nastiness. I asked her to try anyway. She did, and her fix was great.

I ate an early dinner of a green burrito, which cost $1.34 at Del Taco. Then I went back to get emissions done again. One of my club friends was there, and we talked. He has been going through a lot, and I tried to console him. Seeing him was like an angelic intervention. I was so happy. The Explorer passed emissions.

I went back and told the young lady that her fix worked fine on my cellphone. I told her not to let anyone else treat her disrespectfully.

I drove home and almost could not enter my house for Maui. All the dogs let me know their overwhelming displeasure with my being gone. I walked the three, and the day settled back towards normalcy.

Maybe that all seems ordinary, but I rarely go out and rarely encounter so many beautiful humans.

Be kind. Love is why all of us are here. People are precious treasures. You are included.

Picture and Poem

Interesting Times

When words buckle beneath the pressure to flow, all I know is to let go. I have not found a magic token to purchase creativity’s flow.

I kept hoping that my Facebook account would be reinstated, but it appears I lost it permanently on August 5th. It is sad. Friends have told me I should make a new account, but I think if they take mine, I can not begin again.

I am dog sitting Maui for Alex while he is in transition to a more permanent home. You might notice Tribble is least concerned and going her way.

I am not quite sure how I forgot in my troubleshooting to unplug the device, but I called Amazon for help. I felt about as dumb as ever.

The Samsung A32 is working far above my expectations. I love using my phone again.

Having a refrigerator is a blast. Almost three months without one, I am so glad that is over.

I am using Twitter a bit. My Facebook friends are not all on there, but it is okay.

Writing is an exploration of thoughts that come to mind when we march words onto the page. The war begins when we force them into intense sense by editing such that we bleed grammar and style.

Happy Labor Day! I hope you have time to enjoy a break.