Category Archives: poetry

High Coo – Nov 12 – Emily Dickinson First Published

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Emily Elizabeth Dickinson was born 1830 in Amherst, Massachusetts and died 55.5 years later in 1886. Her first book of poetry was published four years after her death on November 12th, 1890.

It is reported that only 10 of her nearly 1,800 poems were published during her lifetime. No one realized she was such a prolific writer until her cache of poetry was discovered by her sister after her death. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Emily_Dickinson

What few poems were published during her lifetime were heavily edited to meet the “standards” of acceptable poetry as determined by the publishers of her time.

A complete collection of her poetry did not become available until 1955 (65 years after her death). “The Poems of Emily Dickinson — Emily Dickinson, Thomas H. Johnson”. Harvard University Press.

Today’s homage haiku: Emily Dickinson First Published

unacceptable

during your lifetime – today

you are a model

Publishers interested in book sales may not appreciate your work today. The “fickle finger of fate” may not “reward” you during your lifetime. Nevertheless, the reasons you write, and the acceptable standards of your writing, are something only you can determine.

High Coo – Nov 11 – Happy Birthday, Kurt Vonnegut

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The New York Times

Regular readers of this blog know that Kurt Vonnegut, Jr. is my favorite author. Today is his 100th birthday and I am compelled to recommend him again.

Born 11/11/1922, he died in 2007 at the age of 84.

As reported by The New York Times, “Vonnegut died in the Manhattan borough of New York City on the night of April 11, 2007, as a result of brain injuries incurred several weeks prior, from a fall at his brownstone home.” (Dinitia Smith, The New York Times)

True to his irreverent nature, “In a 2006 Rolling Stone interview, Vonnegut sardonically stated that he would sue the Brown & Williamson tobacco company, the maker of the Pall Mall-branded cigarettes he had been smoking since he was around 12 or 14 years old, for false advertising: “And do you know why? Because I’m 83 years old. The lying bastards! On the package Brown & Williamson promised to kill me.” (Lev Grossman, TIME)

Considered the Mark Twain of his generation, Vonnegut wrote 14 novels addressing his aversion to war, religion and politics. All are well worth reading, yet lately, I have been rereading the book Pity The Reader written by Vonnegut & Suzanne McConnell (paperback published in 2020 by Seven Stories Press). This book is based on a short article he wrote for International Paper Company titled, How to Write with Style. In his succinct fashion, Vonnegut identified the eight things to remember to have a successful writing style:

  1. Find a subject you care about
  2. Do not ramble
  3. Keep it simple
  4. Have the guts to cut
  5. Sound like yourself
  6. Say what you mean
  7. Pity the readers
  8. For really detailed advice …

Here is my homage haiku: Happy Birthday Kurt Vonnegut

brevity revealed

your soul’s desire to find

decent humankind

High Coo – Nov 10 – Thank You, Joe Juran

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How do you define quality? What about blog quality? Does this blog meet your quality expectations?

Today is World Quality Day (https://nationaltoday.com/world-quality-day/) and one of the major contributors to the understanding and practice of quality is Joseph Juran. (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joseph_M._Juran).

With a degree in Electrical Engineering and many years of practical experience beginning with his time at Western Electric’s Hawthorne Works, Juran went on to become a well-known author and consultant. He has been referred to as one of the founding fathers of the quality movement.

While the quality movement began in the manufacturing sector, Juran was instrumental into expanding quality planning, quality control and quality improvement into other sectors (e.g., service).

Joe Juran retired at age 90 in 1994 and lived another 13 years before his death in 2008. His final messages were about Big Q and a focus on quality of life and environmental quality.

I recall meeting him in the late 1980s at the end of a week-long quality planning training program and was very impressed with his direct yet low-key delivery. He may not have been as dynamic a speaker as his counterparts, Crosby and Deming, but his clarity, focus and many publications were extremely helpful. See a chart below as an example.

http://www.juran.com

Today’s homage haiku: Thank You, Joe Juran

simple golden rule:

customers know quality

ask and follow through

High Coo – Nov 9 – HAPPY BIRTHDAY CARL SAGAN

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Today is Carl Sagan’s birthdate. He was born on Nov 9, 1934, in Brooklyn, NY, USA.

Check out: https://carlsagan.com/ … https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carl_Sagan … https://www.biography.com/scientist/carl-sagan

An amazing communicator and Pulitzer Prize winning author, Sagan is probably most well-known for his groundbreaking (or should I say skybreaking) television show: COSMOS: A PERSONAL JOURNEY, the most watched PBS series until 1990. The show has been seen by 500 million people across 60 countries.

But with intelligence and charisma, Sagan was envied and resisted by peers throughout his life. Two examples include:

  • Before the end of high school, he entered an essay contest in which he posed the question of whether human contact with advanced life forms from another planet might be as disastrous for people on Earth as it was for Native Americans when they first had contact with Europeans. The subject was considered controversial, but his rhetorical skill won over the judges, and they awarded him first prize.
  • Harvard denied Sagan tenure (perhaps due to envy from tenured professors with less public recognition than him) so he became well-known for his leadership at Cornell University.

Unfortunately, Sagan died at the age of 62 in 1996 due to myelodysplasia. Fortunately, Sagan inspired many others to follow in his footsteps and carry the torch for creative thinking and science communication.

Today’s haiku: HAPPY BIRTHDAY CARL SAGAN

thank you for “billions”,

Neal deGrasse Tyson and your

partner, Ann Druyan

Druyan, executive producer and writer of Cosmos: A SpaceTime Odyssey, accepting the Peabody Award in 2014

High Coo – Nov 8 – What’s in a Number v2 or Looking for Hope

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https://www.spiritualunite.com/articles/222-spiritual-meaning-you-should-know/

Woke up this morning and noticed the bedside clock read 2:22. I deliberately set this clock five minutes fast but never to seem to remember that until I reach the kitchen and notice that clock also reads 2:22.

No, I wasn’t time traveling.

Hmmm? Should I purchase a lottery ticket? Should I go back to bed? Should I research numerology again to discover if there is any significance to this number?

(Side note: Today is Election Day in the “good ole U.S. of A.” I’m proud of the fact that I’ve been voting for exactly 50 years now. I will vote again later this morning. I vote because it’s my civic duty … because it gives me the right to complain when the government elected fails to follow through on their promises … because I’d rather participate than be an apathetic whiner who sits on the sidelines … because I was trained to vote.)

I first wrote about numerology on 7.7.22 and a, much younger, sister blogger I admire a lot responded to my topic header/question. This is what C.J. (Crystal) Grasso said:

“The number 2 in spirituality means it is a number ruled by the moon, which also marks it as feminine energy. Which is connected to the emotional and nurturing realm. The moon also is related to one’s hidden aspects, which others do not see. The number 2 also symbolizes partnership and coming together, bringing in harmony and balance It could be an energy that brings up emotional wounds to work through with love and compassion. Balancing one’s inner and outer world…bringing in balance according to an angel numbers website. Which would be great for the world right about now. Numerology and spirituality are such interesting topics, I myself do not know much about them yet, but based on the things I’ve read these are my personal conclusions, though I could be totally wrong. I’m an observer of all this and try to keep an open mind. Numerology and spirituality interlink a lot.”

BTW: check out C.J.’s excellent blog at motivationalcopingandhealingcom.wordpress.com

FWIW: my Zen teacher, Thich Nhat Hanh, said we “go as a river.” Individually we are a single drop of water which can quickly dry up when times are difficult. Collectively, however, we can make a difference. We can form a stronger, more dynamic, flow of energy that makes an impact.

I hope this proves true today both in the “good ole U.S. of A.” and across this beautiful blue marble.

Today’s haiku: LOOKING FOR HOPE

Two plus two plus two

becomes significant when

we unite for GOOD

P.S. The clock now reads 3:33

High Coo – Nov 6 – Animal Shelter Appreciation Week

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Little dog found in ditch needs help – https://www.strayrescue.org/

“National Animal Shelter Appreciation Week takes place during the first full week of November — November 6–12 this year — in recognition of the various shelters that provide care to millions of displaced animals in America. …. The observance also serves to acknowledge the hard-working people supporting the efforts with their work at the shelters. Local shelters are great at finding new homes for homeless pets, but it’s not all they do. They rescue and rehabilitate injured or abused animals too, and they reunite lost pets with their original families. They serve communities by saving their animals every day.” https://nationaltoday.com/national-animal-shelter-appreciation-week/

Today’s haiku: Animal Shelter Appreciation

Make a difference:

if you can’t adopt a pet –

adopt a shelter

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This is my local animal shelter.

High Coo – Nov 3 – Thor’s Day

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The Norse God of Thunder is today’s namesake. Thor is derived from the Germanic Thunraz which is equivalent to Jupiter in Roman mythology.

Why do we still use this name? Haven’t we progressed from Norse gods?

Why not use a note of the musical scale or an element on the periodic table?

Today’s haiku questions: Thor’s Day

Are names important?

Would today be different

if it were renamed?

Just asking …

High Coo – Nov 2 – Day of the Dead

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Dead Guitarist at The Blue Habanero in Richmond, VA – photo taken by author

Today’s haiku: Day of the Dead

Let us remember

loved ones departed – and our

future reunion

“Day of the Dead, or Día de los Muertos, is a traditional Mexican holiday celebrated November 2. On this day, it is believed that the souls of the dead return to visit their living family members. Many people celebrate this day by visiting the graves of deceased loved ones and setting up altars with their favorite foods, drink, and photos….The main tradition for Day of the Dead sees families gather to honor and remember their loved ones who are no longer with us. Celebrated as a sacred and joyous occasion, there is plenty of food, lots of flowers, visits with family members and nostalgic stories about those who have died.” https://nationaltoday.com/day-of-the-dead/

Today, I honor my departed ancestors, friends and teachers who have “crossed over” and “continued” to the next phase of their life journey. I’m especially remembering my grandparents, father and younger brother today. I look forward to our reunions.

I respect that your experience may be different from mine. Many cultures honor their ancestors with holidays like the Day of the Dead. For example, see the chart below:

La Catrina mural at The Blue Habanero in Richmond, VA – photo taken by the author

High Coo – Nov 1 – National Authors Day

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My favorite author is Kurt Vonnegut, Jr. You may recall one or two of his better-known novels: Cats Cradle, Slaughterhouse-Five or Breakfast of Champions.

Vonnegut was born in Indiana on November 11, 1922 and continued until April 11, 2007. As he would have said, “So it goes.” For more information see https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kurt_Vonnegut

On a similar timeline…. “In 1928, the president of the Illinois Women’s Club, Nellie Verne Burt McPherson, came up with the idea to create a day that recognized American authors. …The inspiration for the holiday came while she was in the hospital during the First World War. She had just read Irving Bacheller’s “Eben Holden’s Last Day A-Fishing” and sent a letter to him expressing her love for the book.

After receiving the letter, he responded by forwarding a signed copy of another one of his stories to her. McPherson, overwhelmed by his generosity, thought of a way to repay the gesture. She concluded that a national day for authors would do the trick and presented the idea to the Generation Federation of Women’s Clubs. The club approved, and in May 1929, issued an endorsement to celebrate American Authors on National Author’s Day….

McPherson’s granddaughter, Sue Cole, took on the responsibility of promoting the holiday when her grandmother passed away in 1968. She urges people to send appreciation notes to their favorite authors to celebrate their contributions towards making life easier. The idea is to recognize all the people who have contributed to American literature.” https://nationaltoday.com/national-authors-day/

It’s too late for me to send an appreciation note to Kurt Vonnegut but I can share my appreciation for him on this holiday.

Who is your favorite author? Ernest Hemingway, Stephen King, Barbara Kingsolver, J.K. Rowling, someone else?

Today’s haiku: National Authors Day

Your book set the hook

your story reeled me in –

caught by your word lures

BTW: November is National Novel Writing Month. https://nationaltoday.com/national-novel-writing-month/

High Coo – Oct 31 – Happy Halloween?

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Three thoughts for today:

First, the Christian religion co-opts another pagan holiday (the Celtic New Year on November 1) with All Hallows’ Evening and Scottish and Irish children go door-to-door reciting poetry, singing, telling jokes and doing tricks for free food. Centuries later the religious holiday is co-opted by secular marketeers. Is turnabout fair play? https://nationaltoday.com/halloween/

Second, I’m scheduled for a hospital visit today for a KUB ultrasound to determine if my kidney stone has moved and what the next steps will be for its demise. What might my trick or treat be today?

Third, I’m scheduled to give a poetry reading in 5 weeks at a local Indie bookstore and cafe. It will be my first reading there so I’m excited and a little frightened at the same time. I would appreciate any advice you would offer.

Today’s haiku: Happy Halloween?

fear and joy unite

laughing and shrieking today –

what horrors await?