My Endorsement of Two Writers' Ideas on Writing

"The only sensible ends of literature are, first, the pleasurable toil of writing; second, the gratification of one's family and friends; and lastly, the solid cash." So wrote Nathaniel Hawthorne (1804-1864). And not necessarily in that order. Here is a found poem of mine in which I endorse two ideas of writers Brendan Francis and Dorothy Parker on writing.

What an author likes

to write most

is his signature

on the back

of a check.

To him, the two most

beautiful

words in the English

language are:

"Check enclosed."

A Total Lunar Eclipse: The Sixth Seal

According to the 2022 edition of The Old Farmer's Almanac, "A total lunar eclipse appears on the night of the 15th-16th [of May 2022], with the entire eclipse visible from the eastern half of the U.S. and Canada and all of South America. West of the Mississippi, the Moon will rise already eclipsed, offering intriguing photography opportunities." During a total lunar eclipse the Moon will turn "completely red like blood" (see Revelation 6:12 below).

 THE SIXTH SEAL

from the Bible: Revelation 6:12-17

(Good News Translation)

And I saw the Lamb break open the sixth seal. There was a violent earthquake, and the sun became black like coarse black cloth, and the moon turned completely red like blood. The stars fell down to the earth, like unripe figs falling from the tree when a strong wind shakes it. The sky disappeared like a scroll being rolled up, and every mountain and island was moved from its place. Then the kings of the earth, the rulers and the military chiefs, the rich and the powerful, and all other people, slave and free, hid themselves in caves and under rocks on the mountains. They called out to the mountains and to the rocks, "Fall on us and hide us from the eyes of the one who sits on the throne and from the anger of the Lamb! The terrible day of their anger is here, and who can stand up against it!"

Revelation 6:12-17 (Good News Translation) copyright 1992 American Bible Society. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

The Capable Wife: Selected Verses

The following verses (10-12, 20, 21 and 25-31) are from Proverbs 31 in the Second Edition (1992) of the Good News Bible, the Good News Translation of the Holy Bible:

How hard it is to find a capable wife! She is worth far more than jewels! Her husband puts his confidence in her, and he will never be poor. As long as she lives, she does him good and never harm.

She is generous to the poor and needy. She doesn't worry when it snows, because her family has warm clothing.

She is strong and respected and not afraid of the future. She speaks with a gentle wisdom. She is always busy and looks after her family's needs. Her children show their appreciation, and her husband praises her. He says, "Many women are good wives, but you are the best of them all." Charm is deceptive and beauty disappears, but a woman who honors the Lord should be praised. Give her credit for all she does. She deserves the respect of everyone.

Scriptures copyright 1992 American Bible Society. Used by permission. All rights reserved. 

A Pair of Thoughts on War

In the second photo below is a haiku of mine ("The war in Ukraine . . . ") that I based on a quotation from a Sioux named Spotted Tail. That quotation from Spotted Tail is in the first photo below.

One Definition of a Phonograph

 From The Devil's Dictionary (1906) by Ambrose Bierce (1842-ca. 1914):

Sunflower

 Ah! Sun-flower

by William Blake

Ah Sun-flower! weary of time,

Who countest the steps of the Sun:

Seeking after that sweet golden clime

Where the travellers journey is done.

Where the Youth pined away with desire,

And the pale Virgin shrouded in snow:

Arise from their graves and aspire,

Where my Sun-flower wishes to go.

"Sunflower" by Mason Williams