Memory Continued

June 24

Memory after forgetting

I forgot it was his birthday
For the first time
But remember many in-between.

There were simpler times
When a warm cup of joe
And four lines of poetry
On a frosty moonlit night
Were enough to fill us.

Now of necessity
We pursue money
Mountain tops
Stability.

And those simple times
Are cached like Rhodes Gold
A golden luster
To seek and find
In a different time.

----

I once forgot how to sleep
So busy counting sheep
Coming one by one
Like a rhythmic beating drum
Braying and Baaaeing
Coded messages relaying
Through the window--a sun beam
And then--I slip in to a dream

Memory Project cont.

July 8

Memory as remembrance

The Book says
"Remember, Remember"
Because the author knows
That the reader soon forgets

Busy seeking countless pleasures
And relief from daily pressures
It is not easy to remember
The pain I'm longing to forget.

And yet
I find when my mind
Will relax and remind
Time--

Wherein the words
Of an oft read page
An oft spoken word
From a wisend sage
And the whisperings
Of the dead in their graves

Restore me
To Remembrance

________


Genetic Memory

When Grandpa finished his speech
He was red as a beet
Proud of the light
He had shed on his crowd
And yet on his brow
Hung a little gray cloud
Of self-doubt.

I know this man! I thought
For I saw in the speech
And the response of the crowd
And the doubt on the brow
Like a little grey cloud
But an echo
Of long ago
And presently--me.

Memory

Memory as smell

I woke again today
For the first time
And caught a wiff
Of burning cedar wood
And remembered
All I had ever wanted
And thought it funny
That I should ever forget
Something so simple
_________

Memory as possession

You can't take it with you
That black Sierra Designs pull-over
The A5 on the trail to Gannett
2 wallets in 2 months--gone!
Thursday night's laughter
You can't take it with you
Unless...
You secure what is worth keeping
You remember the pain of forgetting
And the joy of a good thing relived
All things remembered are eternally possessed
Unless...
_________

Memory as joy and ritual

I remember her
Charged with my provocation
Fangs bared
Head wagging
Beneath the aggravated ruse
The shared joy
Of a lazy evening ritual
_________

Memory as appreciation

Is the fruit of appreciation
Long ripened
Freely shared
Abundantly consumed
A fixation on the silver lining
Of all things

Bothwell Bleak- Midwinter series

Late January Sunset in Bothwell, Utah, west of Tremonton. The Bleak Mid-winter provides occasion to trudge through the unbroken snow for some shots.

MA in East Asian Literatures and Languages / Korean for Career Professionals / PPT Presentations...

My diploma arrived in the mail today. So its official. I'm a Master of something--at least on paper. I feel like I've a long way to go with Korean yet, but then again, I've come a long way. Anyway, the best part is I can demand that people refer to me as Master Wiscombe now. wow, that has a nice ring to it.

Matters of the heart

My Heart is a Bell Curve

My heart is a bell curve
Deep at its center
And Built for collecting

But it spins on its hinge
Lays waste to its content
And drips before filling again



My Heart is a Butterfly

My heart is a butterfly
Pearched on a snap-dragon
Ready to fly or be eaten

It flys when it can
And rests went it can’t
An flutters when smitten

Society!! Society!!!

Alright. This is a bit lame but I'm feeling double guilt. One for neglecting my blog. And two for neglecting my promise (recently inspired by a friend) to go on a partial digital fast. This is just a copy paste email. But its one of the better email's I've written recently so I'm publishing it.

I was walking and in Korea there are like 500 people in visiible-motion at any given second. And most of them are in groups of four or five or ten. Some of the groups have minds of their own--some are oblivious. Like a giant comet from space--noisy, firey (having just eaten kimchi) and full of yes, I admit brilliant light. Ok I'm stretching this analogy a bit. Anywho when they decide to move in a group like that you just have to get out of the way. Sometimes they'll conglomerate right at the narrow entrance you have to pass through to be to work on time. 20 of them at the entrance of the subway--like giant clogged artery. And you are just a skinny blood cell trying to squeeze through the mayhem without inhaling too much second hand smoke. Half way down the stares the tsunami hits. 1 minute and 30 seconds ago, 200 feet down a morning train arrived and 800 people poured out of its train carts and have now made their way to the last staircase which you just happen to be going down. It's 800 to 1 here. Yeah, its like swimming against the current in a really big river. Ah! If only I had come 1 minute 30 seconds sooner. You might take an elbow or knee here and there but more than that just the rush of people makes your head spin. But you make it.

about a minute after you get down to the platform a train arrives--except this one is city bound and no one in its sardine packed carts gets off. You turn your back to the mob as the doors slide open and wriggle yourself into the heap butt first. The doors close and almost clip your nose. If only I was an Asian! The old woman behind you has her hand on your butt now but there is nothing either of you can do about it because there is no where to go. So you just turn on your i-pod and try to forget about it. You fall asleep standing up with grannys hand on your bum and dream of a bus in alaska--and you can smell the fresh air off the stream below. All is quiet. You run down to the steam for a quick dip and just as you're taking the plunge the doors to the subway open and without even moving your legs you're carried forward on a wave of people moving toward an escalator. If you don't run with the crowd you'll be trampled first and then wait in a five minute line to ride up. So you run, dodging grandmas and business men and breifcases. And you're thanking God you're still under 30 and can beat the crowd. You get to the top of the stares and turn around and look at the mass of people down below. You point your finger at them and yell take that Society!! Society!! Society!!!!!!!!

(*reference: call of the wild)