Sunday, September 27, 2015

Poem: Meaning

By Jack Brummet



People say life
Would have no meaning
If we lived forever;
Others say life
Would have meaning
If we did.
The meaning of life
Is like the rings running circles
Around a tree trunk.
If you remember back
On your last trip
To the natural history museum,
The best tree sections
Have pins on their rings:
Jesus born;
Magna Carta;
Mayflower arrives in America;
Declaration of Independence;
Civil War ends;
Man walks on moon.

Wouldn’t it be something
To not konk out
And see rings marked
Race wars end;
Israel and Palestine merge;
Poverty eliminated;
The return of Jesus;
Alien diplomats arrive?
---o0o---

Thursday, September 24, 2015

A colloquy between Dean Ericksen and Pope Francis

By Jack Brummet, Religion Ed.


 My Brother-in-law and friend Dean Ericksen  chatted with Pope Francis last night.  "Pope Francis sent me an instant message last night. Here’s the transcript:"

Pope: Hey, Dean.
Dean: Hey, Pope - how is DC?
Pope: Good - did you see the Fiat?
Dean: Yep. Product placement?
Pope: I’ll forget you said that. Did you catch Empire?
Dean: Nope. I’m always late to these things. Still haven’t finished Breaking Bad. You?
Pope: Tivo. Had to talk with Boehner tonight. That guy …
Dean: He’s a cryer.
Pope: He cries about the wrong things. Anyway - Declan moved into the dorm yet?
Dean: Friday. Time moves on. You’re not coming to Seattle - right?
Pope: Not planning on it, but I have some flexibility. Did you see Xi?
Dean: <smirk> Yesterday. High strung. Probably the jet lag. We stopped by the new Paseo, up from your church on 15th.
Pope: What happened to the old Paseo? Wait - north of St Alphonsus?
Dean: Yes. Long story. The con-gusto is still decent.
Pope: Good. Hey … have you thought again about converting?
Dean: Converting from what? To what? Let’s not talk about this. It’s late.
Pope: Come on - have you seen the church lately? Kick the tires, it’s a new ride.
Dean: Same deal on contraception, women, gays, etc. Kudos on the other stuff though. Nice work.
Pope: Alright. Blessings to Mary and the Kids. Buenas Noches.
Dean: Good night. Enjoy NYC.

---o0o---

Wednesday, September 23, 2015

R.I.P. Yogi Berra

By Jack Brummet


Of anyone, ever, in the Yankees organization, he was the sweetest and most memorable. His malapropisms will long survive him. According to Yogi, he only actually said a few of the many phrases attributed to him.


And, how many of us have a cartoon character named after them?  Note: "According to the creators of the character, Hanna-Barbera Productions, the two were not connected."  This is, of course, not believed by anyone.  

And then there his long association with YooHoo.  What a sweet, class act.  You will be missed Yogi Berra. 

---o0o---


Drawing: Faces #1234—Watching President Xi Jinping's limo crawl up the street

By Jack Brummet

click to enlarge
---o0o---

Poem: Here

By Jack Brummet


When I'm not here
I'm often there

Which is anywhere
That's not here.

I'm there,
But not all there.

I have to be
A little here

To be there
And a little there

To be here.
Being here

Or being there
Is not being everywhere.

When you go anywhere
You leave a little bit behind,

Shedding pieces
Here there and everywhere.

If you're not here
And you're not there

You are somewhere
Neither here nor there

And somewhere
Could be anywhere

But can't be
Everywhere.

I saw a bear.
Where? Over there.

---o0o---

Tuesday, September 22, 2015

Poem: [We all have a platoon]

By Jack Brummet



We all have a platoon 
Of partly-contained voices

And shards of multiple personalities
Ready to burst

From the confines
Of our clown car.
---o0o--- 

Monday, September 21, 2015

Updated GOP-Tea Party scorecard: Scott Walker is out

By Jack Brummet, Election 2016 Ed.

Here is our updated ATIT GOP-Tea Party scorecard.  Governor Scott Walker has bailed out and the Koch brothers want their money back!

---o0o---

Drawing: Faces #1235 - The clock runs out in the 4th quarter (scratchboard)

By Jack Brummet

[stylus and pin on 9"x12'"Masonite India Ink scratchboard; 2nd image is digitally reversed]


---o0o---

Poem: Growing up (revised 9/15)

By Jack Brummet
[illustration  "eight stages of life" via http://thenakedconvos.com/]
The 1950s were about
Giving ourselves The American Jitters:

The Day The Earth Stood Still, Huntley-Brinkley, The Thing,
Ed Murrow, The Blob, Fidel, Godzilla, Senator Joe McCarthy, Gorgo.

Wild-eyed Nikita pounded his loafers on TV.
He promised to bury us.

The Cold War ignited on Ike's watch
As alarms shrieked duck and cover.

Dad was in the basement
Sandbagging the jam closet

And caching the beans
And gasoline.

We spooked ourselves for good
And grew up to fear nothing but nothing itself.

                              ---o0o---

Sunday, September 20, 2015

Poem: 3:15 A.M.

By Jack Brummet















The house is still as a painted boat
On a painted sea,























Quiet as the pond
In Monet's Water Lilies,

















And as dark
As Mephistopheles' rectum.

                ---o0o---