Henry David Thoreau's Favorite Song

According to author Caroline Mosley, in an article cited on http://www.amaranthpublishing.com/TomBowling.htm, Henry David Thoreau's favorite popular song was "Tom Bowling," with lyrics by Charles Dibdin. Factoring in time-travel (a form of transcendentalism, arguably), I might have guessed that HDT would have leaned in Bob Dylan's direction. Here are the "Tom Bowling" lyrics:

Tom Bowling

by Charles Dibdin

Here, a sheer hulk, lies poor Tom Bowling
The darling of the crew;
No more he'll hear the tempest howling
For death has broach'd him to.
His form was of the manliest beauty,
His heart was kind and soft,
Faithful, below he did his duty,
But now he's gone aloft.
Tom never from his word departed,
His virtues were so rare,
His friends were many, and true-hearted,
His Poll was kind and fair;
And then he'd sing so blithe and jolly,
Ah, many's the time and oft!
But mirth has turn'd to melancholy,
For Tom is gone aloft.
Yet shall poor Tom find pleasant weather,
When He, who all commands,
Shall give, to call life's crew together,
The word to pipe all hands.
Thus Death, who kinds and tars despatches,
In vain Tom's life has doff'd,
For, though his body's under hatches
His soul has gone aloft.

Epistemology: A Poem

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(image: Rene Descartes)
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Epistemology: A Poem

I never needed to prove whether an exterior
world existed. It proved itself to me, casually.
I get hungry, e.g., and the exterior world has
food, for which you work in the world. When
you work all day for minimum wage, or more,
the world exists. Could it all be an illusion?

Actually, no. And even if philosophers can't
disprove the illusion, that's their problem,
and they'll react to a fire-alarm and otherwise
live in the world, which contains their
arguments in exteriorish books and computers,
so as they say, let's get real. But could we

simply be brains in vats? I'm guessing no
because that's too many vats and too much
vat-maintenance, and besides, even if all this
were a vat-trick, we'd live as if it weren't,
digging in dirt and pondering vat-riddles,
so as they say, let's get real. This It

we experience mixes the real, our illusions,
and realillusion. If you don't think the
exterior world exists, good for you! I hope
your non-existent exterior world includes
farmers, fire-fighters, dentists, door-hangers,
masons, and . . . magicians, of course.


Copyright 2009 Hans Ostrom

William Shatner Reads A Found Poem By Sarah Palin

This may sound like a Zen koan (at best), but perhaps the best way to understand the confluence of American politics, entertainment, art, and absurdity is not to try to understand it all, grasshopper. More specifically, let me suggest that you meditate on William Shatner's rendering of Sarah Palin's resignation-speech as a poem--on the Tonight Show, with backup from a stand-up base and bongo-drums. Oh, yeah. Unfortunately, you will have to try to ignore the brief annoying advertisement (only seconds long) that precedes the video.


http://hillaryclintonarmy.blogspot.com/2009/07/william-shatner-reads-beat-poet-palin.html

Chimamanda Adichie On Writing

Here is a link to a "TED" video (via Youtube) in which Nigerian writer Chimamanda Adiche discusses her development as a writer and explores the topic of "The Danger of a Single Story":

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D9Ihs241zeg

National Gallery of Writing

The National Council of Teachers of English (NCTE) opened its online National Gallery of Writing on October 20, 2009. The gallery features writing in a wide variety of genres. Writers who are 13 years old and above may submit their work, and they may also open a “local” gallery on the site. Teachers at middle schools, high schools, colleges, universities, and other settings may also encourage their students to submit some writing. For more information, please follow the link:

http://www.galleryofwriting.org/

Ballad: Love Needed, Not In Demand

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Ballad: Love Needed, Not In Demand


I talked with Love the other day.
She's been unemployed.
When she offers expertise,
People get annoyed.

"It's nothing new," Love said to me.
"The times, they come and go.
It is a Hater's Market now.
Meanness runs the show."

In reply, I just observed
Love seemed necessary.
"I'm not in demand," Love said.
"But needed? Oh, yes--very."


Copyright 2009 Hans Ostrom

A Reading of a cummings Poem

Here is a link to a video of an unpretentious reading of "next to of course god america" by e.e. cummings, a poem that's a fine parody of mind-numbing, fatuous political speech:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OxU348L2JR8

The poem is read by Dr. Ron Holzschuh.

Perspectives

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Perspectives

To a duck, a waddle
is a way to go. To
a pig, thick slop
is a medium to know.
To a snake, the ground
is the highest kind of low.
To a frog, the moonlight
might just seem a Godly glow.


Copyright 2009 Hans Ostrom

Monty Python's Youtube Channel

Monty Python has a Youtube Channel, something a correspondent from San Diego will enjoy on this momentous October 22nd. When you arrive at the channel, you encounter video of Eric Idle and some droll responses to comments left on the Channel's site:

http://www.youtube.com/user/MontyPython#p/a

New Words and Definitions From the Mensa Challenge

A correspondent from California pointed me to some of the results from the Washington Post's annual Mensa word-challenge, and many of these results will appeal to lovers of word-play in general and poets in particular:

"The Washington Post’s Mensa Invitational once again invited readers to take any word from the dictionary, alter it by adding, subtracting, or changing one letter, and supply a new definition.

Here are the winners:

1. Cashtration (n.): The act of buying a house, which renders the subject financially impotent for an indefinite period of time.
2. Ignoranus : A person who's both stupid and an asshole.
3. Intaxicaton : Euphoria at getting a tax refund, which lasts until you realize it was your money to start with.
4. Reintarnation : Coming back to life as a hillbilly.
5. Bozone ( n.): The substance surrounding stupid people that stops bright ideas from penetrating. The bozone layer, unfortunately, shows little sign of breaking down in the near future.
6. Foreploy : Any misrepresentation about yourself for the purpose of getting laid.
7. Giraffiti : Vandalism spray-painted very, very high
8. Sarchasm : The gulf between the author of sarcastic wit and the person who doesn't get it.
9. Inoculatte : To take coffee intravenously when you are running late.
10. Osteopornosis : A degenerate disease. (This one got extra credit.)
11. Karmageddon : It's like, when everybody is sending off all these really bad vibes, right? And then, like, the Earth explodes and it's like, a serious bummer.
12. Decafalon (n.): The grueling event of getting through the day consuming only things that are good for you.
13. Glibido : All talk and no action.
14. Dopeler Effect: The tendency of stupid ideas to seem smarter when they come at you rapidly.
15. Arachnoleptic Fit (n.): The frantic dance performed just after you've accidentally walked through a spider web.
16. Beelzebug (n.): Satan in the form of a mosquito, that gets into your bedroom at three in the morning and cannot be cast out.
17. Caterpallor ( n.): The color you turn after finding half a worm in the fruit you're eating."

Bob Dylan and Allen Ginsberg at Kerouac's Gravesite

I just watched an intriguing short video featuring Allen Ginsberg talking to Bob Dylan at Jack Kerouac's gravesite. "Talking to Bob Dylan" is a fair description, as Mr. Dylan doesn't have much to say, although he does suggest that he prefers to be buried in an unmarked grave-after he dies, of course. The link:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xiH9QZzGc_s&feature=related

Archive of Canadian Poetry

Here is a link to an archive of Canadian poetry:

http://www.arcpoetry.ca/portage/links/canadian_poetry_archive.php

Some Off-Beat Movies

I'm hard-pressed to define what "off-beat" means in figurative terms, so I'll just roll along and say that here are ten of my favorite off-beat movies, in no particular order:

1. Two-Lane Blacktop (w/ James Taylor and Warren Oates)
2.Vanishing Point (w Barry Newman and Cleavon Little)
3. The Las Vegas Story (Victor Mature, with a song and an appearance by Hoagy Carmichael)
4. Slackers
5. The Brother From Another Planet (Joe Morton stars, if memory serves)
6. Harold and Maude
7. Fitzcarraldo (directed by Werner Herzog, starring Klaus Kinski, although Mick Jagger starred originally, but the production lasted too long.
8.Harry and Tonto (Art Carney, with cat; Carney won an Oscar)
9. My Life As A Dog (Swedish)
10. Sullivan's Travels (written by Preston
Sturges)


I will add only that I saw Cleavon Little play opposite Jackie Gleason in a stage-version of Sly Fox in San Francisco, in the late 1970s. It was great to watch two fine professional actors, with perfect timing.