When I was young I tried to be
A credit to my family
I followed all the rules I knew
As mom and dad had asked me to
They taught me manners, best they could
To be polite as children should.
Speaking the truth was number one
Do not mock others just for fun
Be sure to help if one’s in need
And of your words, take special heed
These rules were simple as you see
Basics of sense and courtesy !
Some days may start with smiles and grin
Before life’s problems do begin
Somehow we never seem to know
Which way each season’s wind will blow.
We take our chances, pray a lot
Make do the best with what we’ve got
Remember how the people care
The kindest are more prone to share.
Today the nation’s full of fools
Believing they make up the rules
And follow any path they choose
Without a threat of win or lose.
How sad that we are come to this
Peace destroyed by a ” Judas ” kiss !
Today seems just another day
In our long journey on the way
We pass the signs along the road
Our hearts bowed down with heavy load
Where will this lead, how shall we fare
How soon before we make it there ?
But better yet I’d like to know
Is God still with us, yes or no ?
What is poetry? I believe poets tell the ugly truth, but cushion the telling with soft and gentle words ! My father told me that something can’t be a lie unless it is based upon an actual fact, else it would be a simple fantasy ! Story telling ! Oh well, I’m not astute enough to be able to distinguish the difference but it appears that I live in the right place at the right time ! I find myself torn by dichotomy, on one hand, Diogenes and on the other, Socrates. The thought of carrying a candle searching for an honest man in these “tornadic” times seems senseless, but who chooses to drink hemlock to score a point ? Kind of reminds one of the ” Lady and the Tiger “. When checking on my words and meaning, I find library “source” books much more factual than I.T. shorthand database which reports multiple opinions and conclusions in minutes, even seconds, as fact ! Scant time for nuances, sadly. No more ancient volumes residing in the world’s most sacred library in Alexandria, Egypt, right? Only ashes?
Sincerely,
Claire B.
Are you familiar with the term ” hand-me-downs ” ? For those of us who are , it epitomizes a way of life that seems to have faded into a form of casual oblivion ! However, with this disappearance we lose a huge chunk of the basic tenets of our American heritage, our raison d’ etre. I’ve been wearing ” castoffs ” for the better part of my life, which is why and how I learned early to boldly ” cut and sew ” or to turn used sweaters into vests and ” bobby sox “. I was taught to knit and crochet by the age of eight and to weave by ten. It was ” disgraceful ” to discard any object that displayed even the faintest signs of ” resurrection “. Recently, I was thrilled to watch a TV program about the recycling of orange peels into feed for cattle ( chock full of vitamins ). Bravo ! When I was first married, my favorite place to shop was called, the ” Salvation Army ” , and every item chosen became a labor of love ! Each eventually made its way into a ” family heirloom ” or a garage sale, thats American ingenuity and entrepreneurship ! I must admit that as my sons entered grade school, I ceased ” making ” their clothing but they did wear ” hand-me-downs ” for an extensive time after. The result of which is that the youngest of four remains to this day a vision of sartorial splendor ! Hmm, I wonder why?
Sincerely,
Claire B.
I have lived in quite a few divers places, observing their customs and mores ( sound the ES as EZ ) and guarantee you, we have been blessed as no other nation ! Let us not slay the goose that lays the golden eggs, I beg you !
And who is that? One George Herbert, 1593 – 1633, another English clergyman, who wrote “The Temple”, a seemingly endless collection of homilies in rhyme! However, no subject remains unnoticed. One needs to ” tip-toe ” gently through the many pages of Olde English sextets, but trust me, that could be an incredible task. My personal favorites appear about halfway, beginning with :
Scorn no mans love, though of a mean degree;
( Love is a present for a mightie king )
Much lesse make any one thine enemie.
As gunnes destroy, so may a little sling.
The cunning workman never doth refuse
The meanest tool, that he may chance to use.
A lifetime of wisdom in six short sentences with not a word to spare. Well worth the effort ! Consider a foray into the unknown, do you dare?
Sincerely,
Claire B.
Have you heard of an English poet named William Ernest Henley? I was 15 when I was introduced to his “Invictus” in Miss Lorena E. Fry’s English Class in high school. Now that was a very long time ago, it was the era of World War II, or as many of today’s collegians say, “W.W. Eleven” ( you know I’m speaking the truth ). I thought of Henley as totally in control , evinced by his most powerful poetic conclusion as follows:
It matters not how strait the gate ,
How charged with punishments the scroll ,
I am the master of my fate :
I am the captain of my soul.
Wow ! I’ve quoted that composition for close to 70 years, actually it became my personal mantra. Ask my children, they’ve heard it enough I’m sure, and one of them can recite it by rote! Imagine that through these years of adulation. I was made aware that this multi-talented genius possessed “feet of clay” and is believed to have ended his own life ! That shines a new light on his words and causes me to revisit his works with a different perspective, a deeper meaning. Will you join me? Or accept it for what it is, his heroic creed!
Sincerely,
Claire B.
Do I have your attention? Oh good, because today I’d like to introduce you to 5 ” magic words “, the keys to the kingdom. I promised my children that these words, used properly, would guarantee them success in life, not in terms financial, but in terms of peace and joy,commodities in short supply . These words are: ” PLEASE “, ” THANK YOU “, ” SORRY”,” MA’AM “, and ” SIR ” ( as in ” no ma’am” or ” yes sir ” ). ” Please ” and ” Thank you ” stand on their own merits and need no instructions ! However my family had difficulty accepting the responsibility of ” Sorry “, does this sound familiar? “Why?” you ask. ” Sorry ” does not signify your guilt. It simply reinforces your concern for others. You should be sorry when you observe someone in stress or pain, don’t you agree ? Therefore, this word connotes genuine empathy in a world which appears to have lost its ” humanity “! If I do not agree with you on an issue, I apologize and doesn’t that help you to experience less antagonism? Now as regards the use of ” Ma’am ” and ” Sir “, these words are a show of respect, another disappearing ” nuance ” of our fading society ( with the exception of the military ). Structure plays a larger role in achieving personal success in as much as it utilizes our best qualities when necessary and these words form a part of that ! They indicate that we do care and will make an effort to listen with respect. Am I mistaken?
Sincerely,
Claire B.
Do you remember Flag Day? June 14, ( 1777 ), the day the stars and stripes became , by Congressional Order, the national standard of this nation? Can anyone tell me what happened to it? I keep losing things, some I don’t really miss like D.D.T. , others I certainly would love to see disappear yesterday, like hunger, still others I feel rapidly slipping away like freedom ! Can you hear me? One voice in this brick and mortar I.T. ” wilderness “, however no ” locusts and wild honey ” on the menu! How about you ?
Sincerely,
Claire B.
A-B-C-D, D-Day who remembers? This is one of my ” special ” dates, 6/6/44, that time cannot fade and years should not erase! We all need to be reminded once in a while of man’s inhumanity to man, and one trip to the beaches of Normandy reinforces that belief. Each time that I return to this consecrated ground I am reminded of those men, women and children, numbering in the millions worldwide, whose lives were changed forever on that day. From Ste. Mere Eglise to that piece of land deemed to be our sovereign soil, called the American Cemetery, you cannot keep a dry eye! It makes you feel so insignificant and so powerless. What a history lesson! May I suggest that you try it?
Sincerely,
Claire B.
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Claire V. Bogdanos 
DATELINE: Hoboken, NJ USA “NIGHTINGALES” ( 2013 ) 2013/07/07
Tags: Blog, Blogging, Commentary, Memories, Naidu Sarojini, Opinions, Poem, Poet, Poetry, Sassoon Siegfried, Writing
In 1945, I stumbled upon a poem, “Transcience” by a poet, Sarojini Naidu. I was unaware that she was a woman or that she was so very special. However, my hungry mind gravitated to her incredible thoughts and words. In my effort to commit them to memory, I devised a plan by using the first 4 words of each of 3 stanzas and it worked. “Nay, do not grieve, Nay do not pine, Nay, do not weep,” now here we are almost 70 years later and with this single device I am able to recall that piece without hesitation. I find that time has not diminished its value or the consolation it carried in its rhythmic style to alleviate the almost unbearable tragedy of that era and its world impact ! This reminds me of another man of note and pathos, Siegfried Sassoon of World War I, still one more voice in the “wilderness “along with a cadre of others. Oddly enough both of these poets shared similarities, born late 1800’s , died after WWII concluded,educated in England and rooted in Indian culture with a passion for peace. Both deserve your attention and respect ! Please allow me to close with the last 4 lines of my personal favorite:
“Nay, do not weep; new hopes,new dreams,new faces,
The unspent joy of all the unborn years,
Will prove your heart a traitor to its sorrow,
And make your eyes unfaithful to their tears.”
by Sarojini Naidu
And so again, we find another facet of magic words in the hands of “word warriors” not to be ignored. I find myself compelled to think of one greater, the Preacher,Solomon, have you read him lately? That’s Ecclesiastes !
Sincerely,
Claire B.
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