Sailing to Byzantium

THAT is no country for old men. The young
In one another's arms, birds in the trees
- Those dying generations - at their song,
The salmon-falls, the mackerel-crowded seas,
Fish, flesh, or fowl, commend all summer long
Whatever is begotten, born, and dies.
Caught in that sensual music all neglect
Monuments of unageing intellect.

An aged man is but a paltry thing,
A tattered coat upon a stick, unless
Soul clap its hands and sing, and louder sing
For every tatter in its mortal dress,
Nor is there singing school but studying
Monuments of its own magnificence;
And therefore I have sailed the seas and come
To the holy city of Byzantium.

O sages standing in God's holy fire
As in the gold mosaic of a wall,
Come from the holy fire, perne in a gyre,
And be the singing-masters of my soul.
Consume my heart away; sick with desire
And fastened to a dying animal
It knows not what it is; and gather me
Into the artifice of eternity.

Once out of nature I shall never take
My bodily form from any natural thing,
But such a form as Grecian goldsmiths make
Of hammered gold and gold enamelling
To keep a drowsy Emperor awake;
Or set upon a golden bough to sing
To lords and ladies of Byzantium
Of what is past, or passing, or to come.
~ William Butler Yeats

Until later...

Peace, Love and Energy,
Tricia

As I scrolled through today's news stories, as I usually do on Saturday morning... to ensure deep, dark, depression, I ran across an article about this man in New Hampshire who stated in court this week that he sexually abused a minor because he had been sexually abused by Big Foot as a child.  My rolling chair was rocking for a good five minutes as I rolled in laughter... oh my... what has the human race become... even funnier, his lawyer says he believes him.  Alrighty then..., glad it wasn't my child he abused, because I know Big Foot, he's from the south, and I would send him right over to put his big foot up this ignorant man's ARSE!  We would be opening up a big ole can of "whoop ass" as my loving brother in law would say.

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Personal Pet Peeves and the Passage of Time:

Small talk aggravates me and as I get older I am more appalled at the things we say out of some bizarre habit.  I know I overthink words..., and I really do appreciate that Southern folks make a point of speaking, but don't say ignorant things.  Say "hello"... it is good manners to speak when you see someone you know.  You can say "How are you?" but only if you really have time to find out... "Good Day" I don't know say something positive.  Don't bum me out with, "another day, another dollar spent" or "one day closer to death"... say something positive... why not say something encouraging?  How much energy does it take to smile and say hello.  Honestly, life is short, which is why I have begun to dread the end of school passing comments.  Among the thing you hear as a teacher this time of year is "only eight more weeks" or something of that nature.  Only eight more weeks to what?  Eight more weeks closer to death?  Mind you, I am not so afraid of death, but I am tired of wishing my life away, I am not wishing for another summer, just so I can do what?  It has come to the point that I can't remember students I had my first year as a teacher..., and I want to remember their names.  Each year I make acquaintances with 120 - 160 new people, and I only have nine short months with them, and then they are gone.  Yeah, occasionally they pop in and say hello, but mostly that is it... as I grow older this becomes sadder to me.  I think of them, going away to college, having families, getting on with life, and me getting older and more alone.  We don't know how much time we have, doesn't it seem silly to wish it away.  I wish that the day was longer, the year longer, that I could have 36 years with my child instead of 18, that the reckless abandon and wonder of childhood could last longer... and that I could have more time to spend with my family and friends.  Does that make sense?  I don't know, I just now that when I say, "OH BOY, I can't wait until summer", I am wishing away more time... and summer will fly like everyone before it.  So, I am not in a big hurry for summer, in fact I am frightened at how rapidly it is approaching.  Alas, if only I could have known... old people really are smart, I should have listened more, and now I am in that conundrum, where I am the old person with no one listening to me.  Ironic? Yep... I'd say so.

Well, hear lies the mindless ponderings of this old lady for this day.

Peace, Love and Energy,
Tricia