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Poems and Thoughts by Frank Maurer

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A Mad Rush to the End opus 1

As we near the end, many grasp time and try--
Some just give up and grow obese.
Some find younger partners to maintain an illusion of youth.
Some spend their last to maintain satisfaction.
Some reach out to the family they always ignored.
Some play golf with a vengeance and die of a heat stroke.
Some lament for what they have not yet accomplished.
Some pursue the former arts of their youth.
Some utter truths to pass on to the next generation.

And a few work to the end to leave a positive legacy.
But, certainly, a mad eventual rush to the end for us all.

Walking Away opus 2

Would she be walking away for the last time--
Now so far across the parking lot?
Would she be seeking another's field of flowers?
He wept tearlessly in sadness.
Has he lost a friend whom he had cared for so much?

On the Edge of the Storm opus 3

I was on the edge of the passing storm.
It warned with thunder and lightning.
Oh, I am on the edge so all would be alright.
Finish harvesting the flowers, I thought--
It will be alright,
From the field to the barn to the water containers.

Suddenly a bolt and a flash on top of me;
The vibrations pierced my body--
And then the smell of burning ozone in the air.
Was I then to die with my pounding heart?
Thought--whom would I again ever see or not?
Thought--What really comes fore out of stress?
My ears still ring.

But--I was just on the edge of the storm.

Flowing Thoughts by the Flowing River opus 4

There she was, seated facing the river!
I knew it was she, because of her white car.
I turned in to park and she turned towards me
I was glad to have found her.

She welcomed me with food and tea;
I threw in my hummus and Brie.
She is always perfect in her hostessing.
Then we started to talk for real, for the first time.

When it was time to depart
And I was driving home,
I felt cleansed and satisfied and washed clean.
She has such a wonderful effect upon me.
Contentment has invaded my being
From this magical river time.

My Dilemma opus 5

A god-concept is not needed to understand?

There is my dilemma!

Key to Success opus 6

An ever unfolding dynamic life
Leads us to ever-new revelations.
How we evaluate and react,
Is the key to the Game of Life--
Whether or not the result leads to success
Is manifested in the application
Of one's foresight, wisdom, and experience.

If only we could somehow learn this in our youth!
Some learn; some do not.

Email to Bill opus 7

My late wife (Nora) rescued and neutered a few stray cats, left on our highway. There are now a few remaining after her death in November 2016. One was a favorite; small, gray female, often with a "squeaky" meow, when in human contact.

Lately she comes only off and on to our morning feedings. At first I was worried she had been hit by a car. Now I wonder if she is being fed elsewhere. If you do not have other cats you are feeding and are feeding only this cat (if you are), please stop feeding her so she will stay with me. She is part of the memory of my late wife.

Thank you,
Frank.

What all Life could be opus 8

Finely chopped parsley
Sprinkled over the face
Of pudding-like rice soup.
How soft and smooth is its texture,
Slipping over the tongue,
Hot,
And taken down with a gentle swallow.

Laughing here and there,
Chatting now and then,
Longing up and down.

If life could be
So soft and gentle soup.

Goli, The Warrior opus 9

She is our idol.
She is fiercely timid and gently fierce.
She constantly works towards an end:
A new language,
A new environment,
A new country.
She serves food as an artist.
She loves her children almost to desperation.

And we, all in her aura,
Love her without exception!

At Last, my Love opus 10

So many years have passed by
Since we first laid eyes upon each other.
So many years.
But each fleeting time when
Life let us pass by the other,
There was a spark of wanting,
Of potential loving, of wishing to touch.

Now, so many years later
The right moment for each of us
Has exploded in our faces, our bodies,
Our hearts.
And we have expressed that first, long ago tingle
With our merging words, and
Thoughts, and, yes, our raging bodies,
To mingle in soft, rapturous joy
Loving each other as we may never
Have even contemplated before.

Such loving should not be lost,
But nurtured and fertilized and
Harvested as long as we do breathe.
At last my dearest wanted love.

Goli opus 11

How joyous it was watching you photograph
A few of our fellow creatures (dragonflies!).
I identified so much that you were I,
As you patiently crouched and waited
For your subject to present itself
In a perfect manner (with music!).

Please consider using your photos
With your future daycare children.
They would be delighted
To know you took the photos
And to hear your explanations of nature.

(Consult me for any nature questions you seek!)

Your devoted and caring friend,
Frank.

White Ash opus 12

White ash filters silently down around me.
Like snow I think.--When suddenly
I connect this falling ash
To the fires consuming California, everywhere.

My finger obstructs the fall of a flake.
What was this in its former form?

Someone's house or barn?
Someone's car tarp?
Someone's flower bed, destroyed?
Someone's woodpile, ready for winter use?
Someone's chicken flock, unable to escape?
Someone's Bar-B-Que plastic cover?
Someone's pet dog's hair?
Someone's beautiful old oak standing for centuries
next to a home?
OR--Someone's personal ashes, transformed
when defending her property?

Egyptian Lady opus 13

Most lovely Egyptian Lady;
The moment I placed eyes upon you,
I knew that you were special.
This does not occur often--
My being taken often by the female form alone.
You brought back so much of my past.
I resolved from our encounter
That I must have moments
To discuss together our lives:
Why are you here to reveal your Turkish to me,
When you said "Ben seni seviorum". (I you love.)
How beautiful such words
To one who has lost his love.
I reach out to you for
Some manner of interaction.

Environmental Trilogy Plus One opus 14

California is Burning; A Trilogy Plus One. Number One.

Smoke pervades the air, irritating the eye.
       California is burning.
Fire consumes the forest and the grassland.
       California is burning.
Hundreds of homes are engulfed and rendered to nothing.
       California is burning.

Cattle, sheep, horses, and chickens are homeless or dead.
But what of all the unmentioned, nor thought of wildlife,
which has obtained the same sad plight?
       California is burning.

What of all our driving, heating, and air conditioning
which augment greater temperatures,
which elevate the CO2 level,
which desiccate everything,
which leaves us an ever greater tinderbox?
       California is burning.

This burning is the manifestation of the neglect and mismanagement
of our very world--our only home.

Florida is Flooding; A Trilogy Plus One. Number Two.

Water is pervading the sewers, backwashing the pavement.
       Florida is flooding.
Beaches are slowly eroding from a rising sea.
       Florida is flooding.
Homes are quietly rendered useless from soggy ground.
       Florida is flooding.

Pastures are continually wet, causing fungus to excel on hooves.
Puddles and standing water--a paradise for mosquito larvae!
       Florida is flooding.

What of all our driving, heating and air conditioning
which augment greater temperatures,
which elevate the CO2 level,
which allow for ever larger storms,
which yield evermore destruction?
       Florida is flooding.

These rising seas and greater storms are the manifestation
of the neglect and mismanagement
of our very world--our only home.

The Tundra is Melting; A Trilogy Plus One.    Number Three.

Higher temperature pervades the north of our planet.
       The Tundra is melting.
Once frozen roads are now rendered useless from the melt.
       The Tundra is melting.
Homes and whole villages must be evacuated or physically moved.
       The Tundra is melting.

Icebergs are melting early to nothing,
Causing the hunting polar bear to invade the land.
       The Tundra is melting.

What of all our driving, heating, and air conditioning
which augment greater temperatures,
which elevate the CO2 and methane levels,
which are the source of warmer seas and atmosphere,
which affect the shoreline of the entire world?
       The Tundra is melting.

These melting icebergs and sinking Tundra lands are the manifestation
of the neglect and mismanagement
of our very world--our only home.

The Rainforest is disappearing; A Trilogy Plus One.    Number Four.

The lungs of our planet are disappearing before the saw.
       The Rainforest is disappearing.
Humans, their hunger for converting the forest to pasture.
       The Rainforest is disappearing.
Rather than foraging the fruits of the forest; steaks are desired.
       The Rainforest is disappearing.

Gold discovery now escalates everything to an ever-greater fevered pace.
Clearing the land for grazing presses the collapse ever sooner.
       The Rainforest is disappearing.

What of our driving, heating, and air conditioning
which augment greater temperatures,
which elevate the CO2 level,
which lower the oxygen production of the forest,
which increase the relative CO2 level over all the world?
       The Rainforest is disappearing.

The reduction of the forest mass on the belt of our planet is the manifestation
of the neglect and mismanagement
of our very world--our only home.

Revelations of a Birdfeeder Assumptions Corrected opus 15

For forty years, my small farm has been a wildlife refuge.
Among the passerines which flock to my habitat restoration,
Are the striking (for a sparrow!) White Crowned
And its companion, the duskier Golden Crowned.
For years I observed the two species foraging together.
It appeared that the White Crowned greatly outnumbered the other
And I assumed the Golden was the subservient one,
Then, I added a small feeder to my window
And, oh, what was revealed when competition
For seed in a small space was created.
My assumption that the White Crowned was dominant
Was shattered by observing the actual dominance
Of the Golden, constantly defending its feeding position!

I extrapolated this revelation to other life observations.
How wrong we all at times might have been in life
With assumptions which have led us to totally incorrect conclusions.

Thoughts of you opus 16

Thoughts of you slip softly through my mind each day.

Needed Energy Power in Canada opus 17

A Texted Response to a Canadian Friend During the Energy Crisis.

Use some Acer saccharum sap
To feed the generators, Maple Man!

White Streets?!? opus 18

Trained falcons nor artificial gun noises will ever change their minds--and those and more have been attempted. The warmth of the city is too alluring. But, do these crows continue this practice during the warmer months of the year? No. The fields and arboral areas around the city are generally 10 F degrees cooler than the heat sink of the city!

What to do? Not only are the crows affected by the city's heat sink, but so are humans: heat stroke; uncomfortable, hot pavement to traverse; higher AC electric bills; more watering of lawns, etc.

Is there a solution to this local problem, mingled with the huge--harder to solve--worldly climate change? One solution is to lighten to a light gray, the darker areas of our cities: roofs, parking lots, and, indeed, our myriad of city streets. I have measured, in January, the difference between the temperatures of white streets (measured on a new neighborhood white cement bridge) and black asphalt within 20 feet of the lighter cement pavement where the difference was 10 F degrees with an ambient temperature of 56 F degrees. Just four months later, in April, with an ambient temperature of 88 F degrees, the two temperatures differed by 21 F degrees! In July the difference was 25 F degrees. Los Angeles during hot summers, have recorded more than 25 F degrees difference.

Why do we humans wait to do something? One helpful solution is now clear and easy to solve. Davis, CA proposed to experiment on a city parking lot and indeed, did so in May 2022 (see Cool Pavement Project--Davis, CA).

In conclusion, as a biologist, watching our planet slowly dessicate from the Arctic ice shelves to the wonderful Kalahari (through which I have wandered), I am in agony. As long ago as 30 years, I was struggling with my overheating house and lethal temperatures in my free range chicken barns, where they would crowd together from the heat (that is a chicken's reaction to heat!) and die of suffocation. My house roof was then foamed and painted white, as well as the chicken barn, and the problem was greatly reduced by as much as 15 F degrees.

If an old farmer can partially solve this problem, locally, why can't our cities do the same with thousands of human beings (some with chickens!)? One other point I have contemplated. In the winter, if a street where crows roost is lightened in color, would the temperature differential be enough to actually discourage crows from roosting there and go to a warmer street that is not treated? This could help further solve the winter roosting problem question and would empirically demonstrate that the white streets have an effect on roosting crows.

Of course there are still pros and cons concerning this procedure, but there are enough cities starting this that it is heartening to see we are willing to try. The question is, are we doing it in time?

Disrupters opus 19

Oh, here they go again.
Yet another perfect cause:
Demonstrate for voting rights,
Demonstrate for women to own their own bodies,
Demonstrate to not wear masks--flaunting one's politics,
Demonstrate to block a bridge, stopping vaccinations,
Demonstrate to stop a wrongful war,
Demonstrate to publicize wrongful racism,
Demonstrate to stop prayer in the schools,
Demonstrate to maintain prayer in the schools,
Demonstrate to save open space for wildlife.

And on and on with our human causes.
How to align oneself with the right side?
One must objectively study the "real facts",
And one must continually listen to the "other side".

The Connecting Limb opus 20

After many decades I returned to my natal town.
I walked here and there to see what had changed.
My original house was a certain destination.
Two houses to the south on Lake Avenue,
Was a gently lower sloped area behind the old gray Daugherty home,
Where we climbed trees--mostly maples--Acer saccharum
I sought out one tree through which we often climbed,
To see if the arboreal aberration of my youth still existed.
I looked and looked upwards, but did not see the object of my visual seeking.
It was a limb with a comfortable circumference
From which we hung, marveling simultaneously:
This particular limb was connected on two ends,
Bridging itself between two trunks!
What anonymous growth act caused this strange structure?
Two trunks bound by a contiguous limb?

The fascination was more than a passing thought.
All us boys continually enjoyed
Touching that strange limb, just for a moment.

Evolution opus 21

Mutation.
Recombination.
Genetic Drift.
These are the genetic strategies of life,
Allowing us to cling to our very earthly existence.

Virus, one of the ubiquitous forms of life
Which constantly remind us of their existence--
Tenaciously meddling in our lives.

Vaccination-----Immunization.
Our way of guiding evolution,
Preventing new viral forms
Which ravage our human population.

Is it faith in a god which will save us
Or a greater common understanding of our methods of science;
The latter leading us to rational knowledge
Of our ever-present fellow forms of life,
Which use us as a medium for their ceaseless subsistence?

Oh, deliver us from so unsavory a plight!

Unrequited Honey opus 22

Oh, that unreachable jar of honey on the top shelf!
So very sweet.
So wet and viscous.
So desirable and delicious on the tongue.
So wonderful with its honey scent.
So colorful and beautiful to view in the jar.

Ah, the jar; so cold and hard--
Such a barrier, blocking one's desire
To taste on the tongue
And softly swallow with tiny imbibitions.

All this is much analogous, with the same emotions,
To my feelings when I fantasize
About a special someone
Who is so out of touch on an unreachable top shelf.

Our Darwin's Tubercle (or Point) opus 23

A tiny bump at 10 o'clock on the right ear.
(This bump is at 2 o'clock on the left ear!)
But, to the point--why this small projection?
Ahh, another genetic take from the eons of life's change.

Where did we come from?
From what did we evolve?
Hmm. Some creature with pointed ears;
All that remains in our present morphology
To remind us of a very different origin!
Yes? An insectivorous, arboreal tree shrew!
Go to a source of historical knowledge and check it out.
And be overjoyed and humbled from whence we might have come.

(Note: This is what Darwin proclaimed in his The Descent of Man--1879--
to show how we might be related to other primates, many of which
do not have pointed ears! An unproven hypothesis, yet not completed.
But a nice story which I could not resist. A single gene with two
alleles, one of which is dominant. My poetic side thinks
It might still lead to something.)

Aggression and Love opus 24

Love of country.
    Love of Another.
        Love of property.
            Love of possessions.
                Love of a food.
                Love of a pet.
            Love of a sports team.
        Love of a political party.
    Love of a religion.
Love of freedom.

Love of all these things gives one meaning
And a sense of belonging.
But when events are challenged and go awry,
Everything of Love might bring out
The strong human feelings of conflict and then aggression--
Another human emotion which often
Wells up in resulting human behavior:
We mirror the schizophrenic ups and downs of chimpanzees
When we might have evolutionarily followed the peaceful,
Loving interactions of the Bonobos, the Lesser Chimp!

Will we always be destined for an aggressive existence,
Or follow the better supplications for a loving reality?

Yolanda opus 25

Two ships pass in the night
And there often is no acknowledgement.
My ship has passed by you often,
And I wish to send you beams of light.

You are calm and funny
And absolutely wonderful in your demeanor.
If things were different, I would
Shyly approach and ask you out to dine!
I truly adore you and am so pleased
To know you are a living creature, here with us!

Marian opus 26

My mind wanders to things of beauty--
Soft clouds touched pink with an unfolding sunset;
A brook wending its way over smooth quartz pebbles;
Tiny hidden blossoms tucked among waving grasses.

The silhouette of a giant Valley Oak,
Powerful and dark against a graying sky--
Yet even though surrounded with such profound beauty,
My thoughts always focus, returning back
To the truly absolute beauty,
Radiating through me from your ever-present aura.

Autumnal Black Walnut opus 27

Scimitar red leaves--
Sharp and piercing!
Dripping red with the end imminent:
Soon to fall and no longer
To breathe and be creative.

The Wolf Captured opus 28

Humans have genetically captured the wolf
To create the myriad number of dogs.

We love to live together and depend on each other,
But what of the future for each of these life forms?

Ode to my Dentist opus 29

Her soft, warm fingers enter my mouth
And move gently in my orifice.
Warm, in spite of the lovely yellow-green surgical gloves.
She utters soft commands to "Turn towards me"
And "Does that hurt?" And "Now place your partial back in".
And "Does that feel good" and "Is that comfortable?"

Then the partials are finally transferred from her to me.
And I place them on my 'mandible'
And both fit so perfectly, which gives me joy!
When done, she says "I will meet you in the lobby",
But she always arrives and then leaves too soon,
And I am left alone; but with sweet remembrances!

Dear Mr. Garamendi. US Representative. (Letter) opus 30

To start, I admire your work. I am now 81 and have lived on my farm on County Road 95, Davis, since 1978. I have raised vegetables and flowers for local farmers markets, catfish for restaurants, some of the first ground-raised chickens (for Chez Panisse Restaurant), turkeys and ducks, and conducted educational tours for school groups. I am the founder (along with my late wife, Prof. Lenora Timm) of the 2000 acre Quail Ridge Reserve, part of the Natural Reserve System of the UC system and, specifically UC Davis. I wrote the legislation for our State Grass (Stipa pulchra) used by 4th graders in their study of California history and California's state symbols.

I have also lived and taught 5 years in Turkey (Robert College), 4 years in Lesotho, Africa (University of Botswana, Lesotho and Swaziland) and conducted research for one year at the University in Uppsala, Sweden.

I have always been concerned about the difficult weather problems of the islands off of Florida. Now it is Puerto Rico, in the limelight once again. The storms are constantly destroying the infrastructure of the island at great cost along with the human and animal loss of life.

I would like to propose a program to improve this terrible situation:

1. Encourage willing people to be resettled (where and when to be decided) with compensation.

2. Those who remain, would start to reclaim and restore native habitat and be compensated for their work.

The ultimate goal is to create an island with native plants and animals which would develop into ecotours, education, and research (the benefits of which would be socially shared). In addition, there would be areas for standard tourism, recreation and sports. This would create jobs as well. Structures would be built to withstand storms and flooding (at least for some period of time). Of course by 2100, much of the island may be submerged because of the ever-ominous climate change.

This project would save millions of dollars and lives and would create a more stable state; if Puerto Rico follows the path of statehood: "Puerto Rico, the Environmental State"! This might at first appear as an impossible task, but upon contemplation and some planning, it may be a winning choice.

I urge you to consider this as a viable plan, realizing the implications of our changing planet and what will occur. The forced movement of human populations is inevitable and is already occurring in many parts of the world, including our own country.

Most sincerely,
Frank W Maurer, Jr.

(Please read: NOMAD CENTURY How climate migration will reshape our world, by Gaia Vince.

Our Sun opus 31

Up early this morning.
Past by the easterly-facing window
And was flooded by that orange ball
Which has warmed me for 81 years.

My thoughts flowed back through history
To all the controversies which this
Golden Ball, our source of life, has created.

"Our Earth was created by our loving god
And there is no doubt that it must be
The center of the masses of spinning celestial bodies."
Any who opposed such a holy concept
Were condemned, or excommunicated,
Or threatened with death (or worse);
Horrible results for a gregarious creature.

Back to the present, still viewing the yet ever-rising sun,
I realized how fortunate I was
To live in a time when such thoughts are now absurd.
But the human skepticism continues
For many new scientific discoveries
Which severely challenge our belief systems.

When will tolerance and thoughtful evaluation
Oust the tenacious myths, plaguing our human minds?

Climate Change opus 32

Slowly the temperature rises on our home planet.
We argue, deny, affirm; and many of our politicians
Ignore the predictions of 'most all of our scientists.
We foolishly identify ourselves by our stand politically
As to what should be done--if anything--
For our slowly changing--frog in the pot--climate,
Until it is definitely too late to survive comfortably,
Except, perhaps, in the far north and a bit in the distant south?
Our potential 11 billion may be shaved down to 3?

Humans have always migrated to save themselves,
As have many of our fellow species.
Will our mass migration to the poles,
Having our generally aggressive innate behaviour--
So un-Bonobo-like-- be our ultimate undoing?
Please dear people, heed what may be the new pending nomadic century
And, for us, our descendants, and most, its absolute
watery or fiery deleterious outcome!

Your Umbilical Scar opus 33

Oh, behold your umbilical scar,
Manifesting the uterine phylogeny of your past.

It is now the fashion of many of our females of the species,
To display this indented tummy ornament
To lure and excite--god knows why--
Her fellow bearers with their X and Y.

Mutation Manifests Phylogeny opus 34

Our new, ever present device, held in right or left hand;
We sit, lie, walk, and more, with our 'other connections'.
Are we ever able to have our continual mechanical companion
Be disconnected from our minds and from our thumbs?
Will this new device lead us to yet another
New mutation, now of thought,
As mutation has created our opposable thumb?
As with the diminution of our molars--
Not needing to chew so incessantly on branches,
Or as with the basic uselessness of our appendix,
Now not needing an additional digestive organ?

But remember, our embryonic tail is ephemerally present
Because of ontogeny--not because of more recent disuse!

Clothes opus 35

How interesting to think that the human animal
Can change its demeanor by donning different bits of cloth.
To go from one mood to another,
Just by zipping up another style or color.

Of course one knows of the octopus as a change artist
And the chameleon fading from brown to green.
But with greater external effort, humans have mimicked
Fellow creatures to blend in or stand out,
By using cotton or denim; attracting the other
Or, in a uniform, to raise feelings of fear or admiration.

Bonobos and Humans opus 36

Two primates which share the blue ribbon,
By utilizing sex to bond, more than any other of that group.
The difference between the two species
Is that humans use sex to bond, juxtaposed with occasional violence,
While Bonobos use intercourse to bond and just simply reduce aggression.

Oh, the vagrancies of the outcome of random evolution.

Cuisine and Shame opus 37

Do you know that, strangely now,
Early Atlantic slaves were fed the then, undesirable lobster?
Now, so desired as a special, tasty food,
Captured by the millions--such a profusion of buoys,
Attached to a jungle of lines and traps;
So many, that the entangled Right Whale's survival
Hangs in the balance of a tipping scale
Between wanted cuisine on the one hand and the shame of
Needlessly destroying yet another fellow species on the other.

Entomophagy I opus 38

Do you know that, strangely now,
Early Atlantic slaves were fed on the then, undesirable lobster?
Today, with ever-reduced grazing areas on the planet
And fisheries that are pressed with over exploitation,
Humans are now contemplating returning to
A once ancestral desired cuisine of termites and their kin
Which at present are, by many, considered as absolutely horrible.

Bizarre how food choice is determined by
Fashion or need or revulsion;
What's different between a shelled sea creature
And terrestrial beings with an exoskeleton?

Entomophagy II opus 39

Oh dear! Why would one wish to ingest bugs?
Besides more humans continually needing protein
And efforts to reduce CO2 and methane,
Insects are a very desirable food source
Which fulfill all of the above.

For instance, on one acre during one year
A cow will produce 192 pounds
And chickens will produce 265 pounds
And 1,500 pounds of soy can be produced
And 7,700 pounds of algae per acre,
While crickets produce 65,000 pounds
And grubs produce 1,000,000 pounds!

Concerning space, cows need 20 square meters,
Pigs, 5; chickens, 4.5,
While crickets as a group require only 1.5 meters squared
And the lowly grubs need a tiny 0.1 square meters!

Insects as a superfood? Let's see.
They have three times more protein than beef,
Two times more iron than spinach,
With all essential amino acids.
Insects have 10% more vitamin B12 than salmon,
And a perfect omega 6:3 ratio!

With such credentials,
How could a challenged human population
Not heed what nature offers and, indeed, demands,
To save us from great hunger and malnutrition
In an ever hostile planet, pressing all
To eventually migrate polar north and some south,
Where temperatures will be more tolerable?

Get over it folks and learn to love
That source which enticed and, when found, delighted our ancestors--
Giving us our present day large brain and canine reduced morphology.

Who's Really in Charge? opus 40

Oh, we humans are so clever
With our ability to precisely measure
Altitude or depth (anywhere)
Distance (down the road or the distance to Mars)
Time (sundials, a pocket watch, or a precise atomic clock)
Temperature (of the body or of a physical location)
Speed (of a Tesla or of a space station)
Ballots cast (hmm, well perhaps not this one!)
And so many more, but the question is

Why is there only a good but limited ten day weather forecast?

Who's really in charge?

Anonymous opus 41

"The difference between an ordinary experience and an exceptional one
is in the details noticed along the way."

Contemplation opus 42

I contemplate the Russian destruction of Ukraine with tragic amazement.
How can the whole world allow such savagery to occur?
Ah, the blackmail of that possible nuclear retort.

Have we really come to this?
That we can obliterate a nation bit by bit
And no finger is lifted to oppose the oppressor directly,
Because of the fear held that the entire world
Will be terminated in a Nuclear Winter.

When will North Korea begin to truly spread its wings?

USA! opus 43

This is a country which is butchering (harvesting?) its young.
USA!   USA!   USA!
This is a country which is held hostage by the gun industry.
USA!   USA!   USA!
This is a country which may never be able to make the humane choice.
USA!   USA!   USA!
This is a country which, if the guns don't destroy it,
The thoughtless inability to stop the creeping CO2
and methane and flooding will.

USA!    Usa?    usa??

Have a thoughtful Thanksgiving.

News Flash!! opus 44

News flash!! (NPR) "Species of bird which are more specialized
Will be more vulnerable to extinction, resulting from climate change."

Duuh! Compare a specialized warbler to a generalized crow or jay!
So this is why the 'generalized' human,
With its opposable thumb, super brain, and upright posture,
Can cause the imbalance of our Earth's climate,
And, if lucky, might be able to repair it?!

(Written on the anniversary of Darwin's publishing his
'On the Origin of Species', 24 November 1859.)

My Holiday Beverage opus 45

One inch of water (not necessary) in a mug;
Add one half oat milk,
Topped with one half of that from the cow.
Then sprinkle a teaspoon of Xylitol (5 ring sugar) into the mixture,
And, for good measure, pour in several glugs of whiskey for taste (and effect!).
Stir rapidly for as long as you deem necessary.
Nothing more needed!

Have a thoughtful Thanksgiving.

Our Second Amendment opus 46

"A WELL-REGULATED MILITIA, being necessary to the security of a free State,
the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed."

Now we interpret an 18th century document
To fit our 20 and 21st century desires.
Do we adhere to the Collective Rights Theory,
Or cling to the Individual Rights of our egotistic culture?
Was this written to protect the State or the Nation,
Or to be used to wantonly murder fellow citizens?
"We" have made one choice through Supreme Court decisions,
When the larger population favors another.

"Things smell rotten in the State of Denmark."
Where are we now, and where on earth will we ever go?

Dialects opus 47

Are we really so different--creature and human?
We laugh at or admire the Scottish dialect.
We diminish or romanticize the Southern dialect.
We swoon or feel inferior to the English dialect.

How do we react to the dialects uttering the danger calls of Prairie Dogs?
How do we evaluate the evening chorus of the Red-winged Black birds--
Vocalizing with differing dialects among flocks habitating the East or the West?

Differing dialects; differing tones; different speed of utterance;
Our Reptilian Brain crys: "Us and them".
Even our vocalizations delimit us
Just like "those creatures"!

Who Really Makes the Choice? opus 48

So, you think the 'Man makes the choice'.
Really?
The human female evaluates the best she can
To judge that male who might 'offer the best offspring' (as well as love).
But the females of other species do the same.
Birds of Paradise males are judged by their counterparts,
Evaluating the practiced year-long results of vocalization and/or dance.
The hen Sage-grouse sees who is best on the lek
And submits to the male acceptance to couple.
Remember, that mammals are basically female (XX)
And that birds are basically male (ZZ),
But no matter the genomic composition, the female is the one
Who, often, seems to decide the ultimate coupling for the future.

Immutable Species opus 49

One Morgan silver dollar was the daily remuneration for a man's travail.
The obverse was the Lady Liberty, renounced at first by receivers of that dollar.
"She is depicted as an unattractive female."
But so much for the obverse; it is the reverse we wish to consider.

Both Linnaeus and Darwin, and of course many others,
Struggling against the concept of the Scala Naturae and the immutability of species,
Realized the great variation within species viewed, resulting from their studies,
And which did cause the perennial rift between Creation and Evolution.
"Species are immutable as created by god."

Now look at a particular specie (a piece of money; a coin),
And compare this to the biological question.
On the reverse of the Morgan is an eagle with a tail, of course.
The mint in 1878 pressed out eagles with a tail of eight feathers.
"Impossible!" cried out the ornithologists of the day--
"Raptors have only an odd number of tail feathers;
One in the center and the remaining on each side to make the odd total."
So, immutability comes to the enlightened fore,
With the mint (Philadelphia--we had four others!)
Reusing the remaining 8 tailed coins by striking over with the seven,
Resulting in a 7 over 8, with four feather tips still showing beneath,
And proceeded on with the 'proper' created (evolved?) odd number.
So, in 1878, the Morgan eagle had 8, 7 over 8, and 7 tail feathers, all in one year!
Now, today, does this manifest the conflict of the 'immutability' of our 'sacred coins',
As well as the 'god created, fixed morphology' of the living creatures around us?

Hidden Libraries opus 50

Each of us holds volumes of memories
Which are either lost in death
Or, perhaps, could be preserved through various recording methods
So that an enhanced life is held for others.

Likewise, there exists another library held immobile in each of our cells,
Revealing a deeper and faraway past
Which expounds itself through our DNA,
Manifesting our juxtaposition with perhaps great historical events!

Lifespan opus 51

There are those who say we must stay longer.
Ah, the secret desired to maintain for each of us a longer sojourn on our planet.
Are there implications for such desires?

There are, of course, vital elements held in each living body
Which in a 'normal' system are regularly recycled to the next generation.
If we increase the length of life for us
And for our dogs and cats and horses,
Will we be depriving the following generations
Of certain life vitals which yield good health and well being?
Consider this as well as the would-be increasing number,
Hoarding space and elements for our own pleasure.

Perhaps we should be considering more deeply the life we have now
And not desperately vying for yet more time.

To Dick Miller, my Friend. d. 2009 opus 52

Dick was mute. Spoke with a whisper and a clacking tongue.
I met him at Antioch College as a student (1962?).
We fell into a wonderful friendship.
I had aspired to teach the blind at Perkins, Cambridge, MA.
Dick appeared, not blind, but I was immediately bonded.
He carried a notepad with him which we would trade back and forth,
Writing our thoughts and phrases to each other.

One day, I declared, "No more notes. I want to read your lips."
Dick, of course, already held that ability.
The paper soon became obsolete and we carried on flowingly.

One day, we were walking through our Ohio forest,
When suddenly I heard a cracking
And saw a distant tree starting to fall to the ground.
I touched Dick's shoulder and pointed to the right.
The great arboreal mass slowly swung down towards the north.
The crash for me was immense; for Dick, a bizzare sight.

We stood for a while together, marvelling each in our own way,
Then slowly pulled ourselves away and walked on, also to the north.
I shall remember that occurrence forever, as long as I live.

Being with Dick, the emphasis of sound
Was engraven in my mind--I could hear; he could not.
Dick, unknowingly, made me treasure my ability to hear;
A gift I treasure after all these six decades.
That afternoon stroll in the Ohio forest imprinted indelibly on my memory,
So that I am constantly conscious of
My beloved bird vocalizations I hear and joy to so often.

Fundraising: Raising Remunerations for a Good Cause opus 53

How many years I have toiled raising funds--
Telling many about the plight of this and that:
A myriad of creatures, their habitats, and needy students who study them.
How does one go out there and ask?
What makes one wish or dare to do such?

The Cause; -- of course the Cause.
If chosen well, there is no shame,
But rather joy that another sees what I see
And feels what I feel and offers something towards the goal.

If one strives for something positive
And is able to bring another along,
There is no shame, no reluctance, no hesitation.
And in the end, I hear an angel gently crying "bravo"!

A Text to Andy, a Former Student, now older and more mature opus 54

Hello. Thank you for the BLT and Aubrey's cake,
Which I will continue to enjoy today!

Also a meaningful time with each other.
Our evening together demonstrates
How people can interact,
Using emotion and the power of thought
To manifest our 'humanness'.
F.

Mutation opus 55

The announcer reads out
"Be advised of the newest Covid variant."
Listeners take it in with a sigh.
Few really comprehend what is occuring:
Half of us, even after elementary high school biology,
Do not realize that this is evolution, screaming through mutation.

And they continue to deny that adaptation
Through biological evolution even exists!

Treichel opus 56

"Ich möchte mit euch treicheln."
Perhaps bad German, but the intention is there.
"I wish with you (plural) to 'treichel' (march together ringing cowbells)."
This act is done on New Years to cleanse all the village houses.
Ghosts of Swiss villages are purged from human habitations--
The huge cowbells are rung steadily--once--as each leg steps
And the smaller ones are rhythmically shaken to fill the bass of the lower.

At 19 years, teaching in the Alps of Switzerland,
I was asked (honorably) to join the men.
After showing me the method to work a large bell,
I marched off to cleanse, into the darkened village, with the others.

My Wonderful Tree House opus 57

The huge White oak, Quercus alba, stood waiting in our yard.
It was almost begging that a little boy
Would hoist up 'prefabricated' framing
To finally form a well constructed tree house!
It was to be my hideaway after a day at school.
I sometimes even slept there overnight, much to the chagrin of my parents!
To ascend, a pulley and a rope system lifted me
With its board seat through the first stage,
Then, with railroad spikes carefully driven into the trunk, to complete the trek.
These devices ultimately protected the tree inhabitant
From any enemy marauder attempting to invade,
Yielding to the occupant, bliss, thirty feet high up in the air.

Pheasants on a Swedish Lawn opus 58

Living in Sweden, I was traversing a large city lawn,
And to my astonishment several (Mongolian--their origin!) pheasants grazed.
I knew my birds and which had been introduced where,
But this unexpected visual gave me a start--
A start--manifested in this poem--that would never leave me:
Pheasants calmly grazing on a Swedish lawn!
Does Uppsala really glory in all of its inhabitants?

Foiled opus 59

The unopened roll of aluminum foil lies on the floor--
Was a reminder to have festively wrapped the frozen blocks of meat--
Butchered from a favorite, but old, Swiss Highland steer--
The packages--freezer preserved--in cold stillness in the barn.

Unopened foil, because, out of sadness,
I could not muster the fortitude to rouse myself
And travel to the San Francisco Christmas get-together.

Too many memories.
Too many disappointments.
Too much pain.

The noise of the revelry would have devastated me.

Fire on the Christmas Tree opus 60

Switzerland in an old wooden alpine building. Christmas time (1964).
(Almost one hundred years after the US Civil War--
Irrelevant here, but important to remember.)
The whole school had to wait outside--
Preparation was festering behind the doors.

Then the word came that we may enter.
No lights, except for the fiery glow
Of a Swiss Christmas tree with hundreds of small, white candles.
What a striking, glorious sight--
It set one's heart on fire.
Then singing in the glow, adding to the mystery.
("Innsbruck ich muss dich lassen--")
It was a Christmas always to be remembered.

Frank the Milkman opus 61

Twice a week, Frank, the milkman, would back his truck into our long driveway.
Bottles would clink and an array of milk would appear.
Used bottles were exchanged and off he would go.

One day, Frank asked my mother if I might ride with him on his route.
I had shown interest as a young boy and was thus rewarded.
What a wonderful trip through my neighborhood in a MILK TRUCK!
I will always remember how Frank, the milkman,
Had fulfilled a little boy's dream--
To ride and deliver things in a milk truck!

Mercury Dimes, Remaining opus 62

Four Mercury dimes--1941 to 1945--lie packeted together.
Ready to give as a little Christmas gift to my grandson.
I had originally thought he would have enjoyed
Exchanging numismatic thoughts about coins together--
A subject to possibly bind our friendship.
But sadly, he will not talk nor visit.

My days, at my age, are running out.
Perhaps I shall never have such fantasized joy.
A decade or more of pending possibility:
One can only wait and savour those things that do remain.

Communication Parameters of a New Generation opus 63

My new daughter-in-law made it immediately clear:
"I do not wish to talk--a text now and then is permissible."
"All my friends speak with their parents-in-law
Only once or twice a year", (you foolish man).
In spite of foolishly attempting to talk,
Our relationship evolved worse and worse.

Strange and sad that a modern young woman
Can overpower a simple wish
Of an accomplished old man from another generation
Rendering an awkward silence--
Occasionally obtaining an insincere verbal intercourse between us.

Campangol (Campanyol) opus 64

My study creature of choice in graduate school
Was the ubiquitous Meadow Vole, Microtus pennsylvanicus.
My base study area at Cornell was an open field laced with hay bales.
To be really efficient, in addition to the use of traps,
Was to quietly approach a bale and suddenly flip it.
Then there was a dive and a scramble,
Scooping up whatever was moving.
Proper mothers and offspring were often collected together,
Preserving the accurate genetic line in one fell swoop!

Many years later, I find myself in California,
Surreptitiously meeting a professor studying the large Microtus of the West.
We hit it off, friendship wise, as biologists often do; with us, the binding Microtus!
And, of course, as I have learned in my now home of 45 years,
Our belov-ed tiny mammal in Spanish is Campangol (Campanyol) (the mouse of the field)!

Nora. Memories opus 65

She died in November, 2016.
It is now January, 2023.
The Christmas lights she plugged in, in the living room,
Are still on--never touched.
So long a lifespan (for such lights)
Which she had decorated throughout the house.
The calendars she maintained, still hanging on November, 2016.
Some of her old meds still sit on the bedroom ironing board.
Her pendant collection, still on the wall hooks--some I made for her.
And, of course, many, many books amassed over her research years,
Mingled with my large collection--now all juxtaposed throughout the shelves.

My life has changed in the progress of aging and time passing,
But these all will remain for a time more,
Along with many other remnants of our past productive lives together.

Out Of Africa opus 66

I am a human, Homo sapiens, whose phylogeny is out of Africa.
After I lived several decades in the Northern Hemisphere,
I "returned" to Africa, Lesotho (Le su tu), to teach biology.
I viewed, often, the great remaining herds of migrating creatures,
The valley villages in the early morning, with a hovering cloud of smoke over the huts,
And remember the breeding of my Basotho mare with a local magnificent Appaloosa stallion.

We rode from Roma, Lesotho, to a Ladybrand farm in South Africa,
To leave the mare for breeding on the Amm's place for a few days.
Weeks later, back in Roma, a beautiful foal emerged
With a Nez Perce (Ney Pair say--French) blanket of white, scattered with black spots on her rump:
Perhaps the first of such a gene recombination in Lesotho!
The transport of a North American horse breed (bred by the Nez Perce),
Combined with the 'blood' of the African bred Basotho pony:
Such a sweet, lovely creature to be created on the continent of our human origin.

The Elephant and the Tree (1977) opus 67

I was leaving my belov-ed Africa completing five years of teaching.
From Lesotho (Le su tu) I flew for a last stop in Malawi.
I had the choice of a hotel and walking the town,
Or rent a car in which I would sleep and see some sights!
Hard to guess which I chose--------.

With the car, I needed food for my travels.
Coming upon an outdoor market, I purchased a huge hand of plantains
With several bags of tangerines--both easy to peel.
Then I was off down the dusty road to where?
Gave someone a lift for a while and chatted country politics.
(Banda had killed perhaps one person in every Milawan family!--so he said.)
Then went on and found a national game park.
Signed in and settled into my cabin.

Explored out in the bush for a time, with wondrous fascination.
(I kept my white flannel shirt on, covered in red African dust.)
Ate a bite from my stash of plantains and tangerines,
Then wandered out again near dusk for good wildlife viewing.
Walked along a lake's shore to my right, probably full of crocs and hippos.
Passed further on to discover a huge bull elephant now in sight.
I watched him feeding on branches for several minutes.
It was becoming darker.
Suddenly I heard a trumpet and saw the ears out and the trunk up!
Wind shifted. I knew I needed to leave--fast.
Crocs now to the left and a long open slope to the right.
One lone tree far ahead--my only hope.

I ran as I had never run before--my high school records were all shattered.
MADE IT, with a huge pachyderm just behind.
The tree's root mass, from past flooding, was wide, like a giant bonsai.
The elephant rounded to the right,
I rounded back to the left.
Then the other way for both of us in our opposed motions.
Two or more semi rotations and then a pause.
I had my foot uplifted on the tree root
And it trembled beneath my body in exhaustion and exhilarated fear.

Suddenly nothing--no sound--and I wondered where we were.
Slowly creeping around to see if the huge animal was there.
Not a thing------.
Then the sudden crack of a branch and I realized it had silently left to feed.
I slowly and carefully slunk out and back to my cabin,
Still so full of adrenalin, but quieter,
I lay down on my cot and left the world in excited slumber.

Dinosaur Bone opus 68

I collected a piece of a dinosaur bone while in Wyoming.
I am quite sure it was part of a large creature's leg.
One could see the small pocking of tiny cells.
There were no rings, so surely not petrified wood.
Small riverlets of blue wended their way across the surface--
Certainly indicating the remnant from a once living animal.

How haunting and mind-blowing to be holding such a rock;
A part of a former being, dating back many scores of centuries.
Just holding it, put my own existence into exact perspective;
Truly, I have existed for only a speck of time
During our wondrous earth's geologic history.

Kalahari and the Termite Mound (1975) opus 69

We were immersed in the Kalahari Desert of Botswana, which surrounded us.
From our Lesotho base south of us,
Many miles had passed to reach this"idyllic" place.
Among us from the University, were an English retired District Governor, John.
His wife, a German intellectual, Shirley,
A Dutch demographer, Gerhard Schmitz,
And the wonderfully naive Librarian (I forget his name)
From New England, who wished to tag along.
I was resident biologist, there to observe and collect.
So many events unfolded during this expedition.
Perhaps after some time, I might be able to relate a few.

On this particular morning, the Librarian and I set out on foot to view large game;
There was a lion kill we must visit to check the consumption from that past night.
The day was bright and full of all that Africa could offer.
As we moved through the beautiful tall, lush grasses,
Farther and farther from our parked Land Rover,

We saw aways away a bull elephant, slowly grazing quietly in our direction.
I scrutinized the area just to have a good 'lay of the land'.
Near the grassy opening, amongst the trees
Were a large number of giant termite mounds.
(Termites, of course, were the impetus during our human evolution,
Offering, once discovered as a food source, that pulse of protein,
Which allowed the extra energy source to feed our ever-increasing brains!)
I grabbed the Librarian's arm and commanded him to run with me
Towards the waiting pillars of insect- constructed soil.
As we ran, I directed, when by the mound,
To jump straight to the right, behind it.
I followed, also abruptly shifting to the right, out of sight.
The huge pachyderm thundered past us,
Not detecting our quick moves, because of poor eyesight!
Saved from destruction by a beast with poor eyesight.
We watched as it plunged onward into the bush
And we, much relieved, turned back towards our vehicle,
With yet another adventurous episode under our fragile belts.

A Dance in the Kalahari on a Pan (1976) opus 70

Our Kalahari safari of one month was soon to end.
On the last night, a day's trip from Maun, a Botswana outpost
(A hangout for the famous Van Der Post),
We decided to stop and camp next to and on a salt pan or playa;
Hard flat mud, forming a very walkable open area for our centerpiece.
Tents up, fire started, supplies out and festivities to begin.
I was cook that night.
 I had snuck in a bottle of brandy from the last trading post;
Meat, vegetables, drinks, and sliced peach dessert all happily flavored.
There were no complaints that evening,
By masking any culinary faux pas I may have made.

Then the battery radio appeared, sounding the music of Radio Swazi.
Deftly, John's wife, Shirley, who had come along, disappeared to her vehicle,
And magically returned wearing high heels;
Imagine that, initiating our dancing on a hardened mud flat
In the Kalahari Desert on our last wonderful night!
Such a culmination of a trip full of challenges and adventure
And hopefully adding some knowledge and understanding to our incredible world.

16 January 2023, Davis, California Sun; on a day predicted for more rain! opus 71

A years-long drought-ridden California is suddenly flooded.
So many days and weeks receiving the bounty
Of atmospheric rivers streaming over the State.
All those prayers for rain were answered with a plethora!

Does this show that prayers are powerfully answered from above,
Or that there is uncontrollable randomness
In what we wish might be an orderly world?

25 June 1973, Lesotho, Southern Africa opus 72

Christine was pregnant--oh, so pregnant.
Consulting with our local Catholic hospital,
The doctor informed us that if there were a problem,
The child would be saved before the mother!
Mad searching for an alternative----
A black Mosotho, Dr. Mohapelo, a surgeon in Maseru--
A colleague of Christine's father, Dr. Jaques.
Now we confronted a breech----feet down.
Pierre was a large baby--what to do?

The moment came at home, water flowing.
Now a many mile trip to Maseru and the hospital.
(A birth in the Catholic hospital in Roma would have been so close.)
Maseru------Into the hospital and the operating room--
Electricity failing in the city,
But sun in early morning, coming through the upper window.
Sterile packs removed from the autoclave.
(I was there!)
Anesthesia, then the Cesarean cut in the abdomen.
The child was pulled up and out, umbilicus severed and tied off.
But oh, so blue--the little body was so blue!
A nurse held him upside down and pounded on his back.
"Is this normal?", I asked the surgeon.
"Not unusual", was the answer.
FINALLY, breath and a baby's wailing.
Relief.
The beginning of little Pierre Crispin's life.

Eventually back home and to a wood stove's warmth.
(Remember this was June, but in the Southern Hemisphere.)
Little, lovely child ready to meet the world.

A Jester opus 73

I have always wished to be a jester--
A clever jester who could guide the king
With such veiled honesty
That I would not lose my head,

But with such an advisory tact that the outcome
Would benefit the king and those in his kingdom.

It would be nice to have a few more jesters
Who might be heeded by our 'kingly' leaders,
Guiding us to a long reign of peace in our troubled world.

A Time to Decide opus 74

I am a sun child; A flower child.
And a child of pacifism and peace.

As a child, when confronted with a fight, I ran.
When my brother, John, would confront me pugnaciously
I would turn and run into the bathroom and lock the door;
I knew I was bigger and would hurt him.

Later, real decisions were to be pondered.
A war, the 'Vietnam War' was raging.
I was in graduate school studying,
But working with the Cornell Young Quakers as well.
In protest, we carried medical supplies
Across the Peace Bridge to Canada
Symbolically stating that the American Red Cross
Should not be restricted to help only US soldiers
And not others in need.

Then the government applications for the status of Pacifist.
My lottery number was 374 and all I could do was wait.
My choices were to serve as a medic in the military;
Or to serve time in prison as a non-cooperator;
Or flee to Canada to live a new and different life.

No choice, in the end, had to be made:
The war, as all wars eventually do, ended.
I had stood up for what I thought was right.
Then, with some mental wounds,
I was obliged to responsibly carry on with the rest of my life.

The African Bee (1969-1973) opus 75

In Lesotho (Le su tu), Africa, I was a biology professor.
Of course I taught regular science classes,
But in a country such as Lesotho,
One was obliged to give more back to this poorer society.
I thus decided one of my projects was to develop beekeeping.
Africans are basically terrified of the native, very untame bee.
For good reason. The African bee was always plundered and exploited;
Unlike the European bee, which was selected over time for gentleness.
Once again evolution--selection and mutation--play a major role.

At any rate, I travelled to Ladybrand, South Africa
To learn the art of African beekeeping.
I learned how to completely dress with several layers;
I learned the flowering sources for this species;
I learned the whole art of collecting and extracting the comb honey.

My first encounter with a swarm was in a garage.
Box ready. Smoker lit and in I went.
All were collected and confined in the cardboard boxes.
Everything went like clockwork--I had learned the art!

One works with bees often at night when they are grouped and calm,
But no matter when, a smoker is always needed.
I remember bundling Pierre, my one year old son, into the VW bus,
And driving out into the night with boxes, smoker,
Plus a plastic rounded hair curler to confine the queen,
To collect a nearby swarm and transfer it into one of my hives.
No problem. The child slept and I collected and delivered!

One incident I will never forget--so naturally profound.
A lovely, soft, quiet African afternoon'
As I tore open the corrugated wall of a trading post,
Behind which was a gigantic hive,
A Mosotho mother, baby on her back,
Stepped away from the crowd,
Squatted, let her stream of urine flow,
Got back up and walked away.
Such a beautiful sight of a natural human function.

At times, I collected whole combs to deliver to a local Holiday Inn.
The idea came to me that they serve the combs, Sundays, on silver platters.
They were delighted with the thought and combs were then delivered.

So, that was the beginning of my introduction to yet another fellow creature.
Beekeeping can be heavy work,
But such a sweet, calming way to pass one's time and life experience.

4 January 1980, Sacramento, California opus 76

My second son, after Pierre, was Basil Gavin.
Unlike his brother born in Africa,
Basil was an urban-birthed baby, born in Sacramento.
To carry on custom and that to which we were used to,
We found a hospital that conducted 'home births' with backup!
The young doctor was bearded and a bit Bohemian.
Thus, I offered to pay part of the expense with a butchered sheep!
He accepted and the moment finally came.
Pierre had been a breech, resulting in a Cesarean;
Basil would be a 'normal' birth--whatever that means.
As with Pierre, things got a little complex.
Forceps were needed to bring him out.
(Otherwise, nothing else unusual was required!)

After a time of recuperation, we all came home--
Once again, on our farm in Davis,
Basil was snuggled by a wood stove in the living room.
That's where life began and went on for many years--
A pastoral life, blended with remembrances of a former African experience.

Drums Across the Ocean (1978) opus 77

In Lesotho, Africa, where we lived,
Distant evening fires on the hillsides were often seen,
Accompanied by long bouts of drumming.
Surely, over there, was comradery accompanied by gulps of juala (sorghum beer).

After years in Africa, then Sweden,
I arrived in, of all places, Davis, California!
I was beginning to organize my new, 37 acre farm.
One evening, I was just taken out of myself,
When I saw fires on the slopes of the Coast Range,
And, sure enough, drums continually wafting on the breeze.
It was indeed a shock to be transported back
To the wonderful evening drums of my past, Lesotho, Africa.

At Dusk by my Table opus 78

Sitting at dusk by my table,
Watching White-crowned Sparrows on the outside feeder.
Bundles of narcissus--all colors clumped together.
A carving of an abstract eagle,
Carved in Norway with my travelling two year old son.
A CD sent from Sweden--one of Ingegerd's daughter's singing.
An Asian Elephant statue in gold--at least the color--
Acquired at a flea market, accompanied by my lovely dog, Sophia.
A hand carved stone petroglyph of Kokopelli,
Created in Colorado, in October 1999,
While attending a Land Trust Alliance Rally
With snow flurries surrounding us all.

I have been to so many places and seen so much.
Comforting thoughts of my past, just sitting next to me.

Basil's Sweet Look opus 79

In order to build a closer relationship with my second son, Basil,
Santa left some money for Basil to take his father, me, out for lunch,
Followed by a shopping time for Basil to choose a special gift.
The trip started with a lunch at an Olive Garden Restaurant.
We consumed wonderful Italian cuisine,
And at the end, Basil pulled out his gift from Santa,
Held the bills and looked sheepishly at me.
Such a sweet look he flashed in my direction--
My heart ached with a joyful feeling;
Just for a moment, but one to remember forever.

Marshfield Woman. One opus 80

My friend, Eddy Fineberg, of high school days, and I,
Decided to take a longish bike trip from Newton, Mass, to the Cape.
Unbeknownst to us, a hurricane was pending,
But into the unknown fray we went.
On a beach near Marshfield on the Cape, the storm met us.
I remember the wind and the waves--
The sand, driving parallel to the ground against our faces.
As young guys, this was just adventure.

On the beach, we met a group who invited us to their beach house.
Once inside, they explained that their father
Had constructed this snug and low structure to withstand any storm;
It was true: low concrete walls wedged into the rock wall.
The interaction amongst us was wondrous for me.
I was invited by one--a woman of about 40--
To visit her and her childrens' Marshfield home someday.
She was lovely, friendly and sympathetic towards a young man.
Eddy and I stayed and slept on the floor during the night's storm.
Next day, we all eventually said goodbye
And I waited in my heart to make that intriguing visit.

Marshfield Woman. Two opus 81

I had met her and her family during the hurricane.
I liked her and, being 17 and could drive,
I was invited to her Marshfied home;
A 200 year old house of durable New England style.
We talked and played with her children
And she and I talked about many things--
Even though she was many years older than I.
I had a feeling of love for her as the moments passed on.
I was a young man with desire--
She was responsive and fulfilled my young needs for female companionship.

There was nothing more.
We lost touch, but I always remember
Her attentiveness and recognition of me as a maturing man.

Nicholas, the future Zoologist opus 82

Well, Nicholas is a 14 year old boy who wants to be a Zoologist.
His mother called me to ask if I might be interviewed.
(She had chatted with me on the 'phone, while making a doctor's appointment.
I guess I said enough that she thought I was an able zoologist!)

The day arrived when Nicholas and his parents came for the interview.
We started, Nicholas with pen in hand, by the non-native eucalyptus trees.
We talked together about how there was little life stirring up there--
Introduced plant species are the same as constructing a parking lot for wildlife.
Next on to a stand of Elymus glaucus, the Blue Wild Rye grass.
Here, one would be much more likely to see native fauna amongst the stems.
Then on by the plug-in hybrid car-- a small positive step, slowing climate change for all of us.
We passed by my little pond, explaining the necessity of water for life.

Around behind the house, Nicholas viewed and talked about antlers, horns, and tusks;
All as a result of parallel evolution, manifesting uses for defence and aggression
And just plain, obvious secondary sexual characteristics!
More subtly, we viewed a fluorescent rock,
Demonstrating the added ability of birds to see in wavelengths beyond ours.

Finally, some real vertebrates: a Whiteface Angus steer,
And three emu--ratites (flightless birds) from Australia.
The steer licked Nicholas' hand, showing some of his (its) dentition--
Flat and gently ridged, adapted for a grazing life,
And the emu with greatly reduced wings and huge legs,
Demonstrating a life which evolved from flight to bipedalism.

As we concluded, I asked Nicholas if he had any further questions.
He concluded with a smile, "Nope, you've covered it all!"

Robert Burns, the Day after His Birthday opus 83

Robert Burns, the great Scottish Poet.
His birthday was yesterday and I almost forgot--25 January 1759.
So sad, I would momentarily forget a fellow Scot.
But what a rush, when I suddenly recalled.
Of course he wrote beautiful love poems.
Such as 'My Luve is like a Red Red Rose;
But do you realize he wrote an ode to George Washington?
This, of course, was during the British/American Revolution!
('Could have been in great trouble.)
He also wrote another, praising the French Revolution!
('Again, potential trouble.)
Of course, there's too, the ode To a Mouse and Address to the Haggis.

Goodness, how could I have ever forgot--even for a moment--
Such an important, creative and vital poet?

The Termite Feast opus 84

Remember that photo of Jane Goodall;
The chimp using the stick tool to draw out termites?
The use of the tool was an incredible break through of knowledge,
But what of the saga of the termites?
When discovered as a food, the termite was the protein impetus of evolution.
Human brains evolved with the added protein to flourish ever larger.

I lived and taught at the University of Lesotho, Africa.
One afternoon, winged termites began to emerge from our lawns!
Amazed, I watched as these delicate creatures pushed up into the air.
I remembered the gustatory history of humans and termites;
I suddenly cried out--'bring out your large salad bowls'.
'Place them over the holes and capture these potential protein morsels.'
As our ancestors lept to snatch up as many as possible--
So we moved fast to capture our entemorphagical tidbits.

Immersed and gently fried in hot butter with a bit of water,
These insect protein packets fed us for a meal,
Drawing us back in mind to our ancestral past
And the continual, perpetual human search for reliable protein sources.

Encountering a Cobra while on Horseback. (Lesotho, Africa) opus 85

Horses are a vital means of transport in Lesotho (Le su tu).
I had refined, more and more, my equestrian skills.
By owning a horse, as a foreigner, it creates a job of care for a Mosotho.
The mountainous terrain of Lesotho is a dream for those who love riding.
Lesotho is home and the origin of the Basotho Pony--
A horse which has been bred to Triple--
A smooth gait somewhere between a trot and a cantor--
Pull back, push forward, both simultaneously!

One day, when concluding a ride on my wonderful Pony,
I entered the University residential area for faculty,
When I noticed a cobra crossing the dusty road,
Moving slowly towards a house and its children playing nearby;
Together with a chicken coop, harboring the quest for any respectable cobra--
Many nest boxes where hens have left their ovulated prize--eggs!
I called out to the children to take cover in the house,
Then rode quickly to the Science Building, harboring its now very needed implements:
Goggles to shield the eyes from a very--several meter--accurately spitting cobra
And a pole to knock the dangerous snake senseless!
A gallop back to the spot, snake's position immediately determined,
Then a quick, smooth, humane interaction, and it was done:
Children safe, eggs conserved and a new specimen for the biological collection.

Now, somewhat overwhelmed, I walked my horse to restable,
Unharnessed it with uneasy hands in the quiet equestrian shelter.

Cancer Demons opus 86

Oh, my. Yet one more bout of cancer--now on my crown.
I have met Her in so many various forms.
She continually attempts to slip past my bulwark,
Attempting entry into my inner vulnerable, vital mortal coil.
So far, Her nemesis, my knight-like doctor, has repaired the gates
And maintained a defensible depth in the moats.

To demonstrate our courage and defensive posture--
I laugh and joke, while discussing poetry and medicine and science
With my capable surgeon who, during this last episode,
Cut out a teaspoon-sized pit down to my very skull.

So there, undeterred, and fiercely opposing---You Cancer!

My Brother John opus 87

My brother John was two years younger than I
And two years older than my sister, Susan.
The two, being part of an odd number of siblings,
Would often form an alliance, leaving me the third one out.
I was often in some brotherly combat where I thought I might harm him.
There were times,when a conflict would become too aggressive,
And therefore I would run and hide in the locked bathroom,
So as not to cause a possible injury.

John was a very good looking boy.
He was very popular and behaved as a cool kid.
I would ride my bike everywhere,
Carrying a briefcase in high school and wearing a trench coat.
John would have none of that by walking and carrying a bookbag.

I listened to and played classical music,
While John was a 'pop guy'--the Top Twenty.
I went to college (Antioch) and he became a walking postman.
John married a young woman--I forget her name.
He 'rescued' her from a family struggling and aspiring to be 'upper class'.
The parents were forcing her to come out as a debutante.
She wanted none of it; John and she married;
I was not there, but my parents were the only guests at the wedding.
If there were other reasons, I do not know of them.

Later I had an Antioch Co-op job in the San Francisco area--Richmond--
Working as a biologist, collecting whale specimens
In the last of whaling in the United States.
John and Ann--her name I now remember--
Came to visit me at my co-op job area, meeting me in Chinatown.
Marriage had matured John and we three had a wonderful time:
I remember taking several photos--
One of John standing up on the base of a lamp post.

Back to work, I was sampling whale vitals as they were brought in for slaughter.
One night about 2 AM, as I remember,
The payphone in the hallway rang--
I thinking it was notice of the boats once again arriving.
It was my father, saying John was hunting and had been killed by a stray bullet.

My knees weakened with confusion, but a determination came over me.
I wandered through the streets of Point Richmond,
Ending up at Gretta Tedrick's house (at 2 AM)-- a family I had befriended.
They let me in and I listened to Bach's B Minor Mass on their record player.
After which, I flew to Pacific Palisades and the funeral.
I talked a lot with Ann's sister and walked with her
Through the chaparral in the neighborhood.

At the chapel, I remember requesting some music by Bach;
I had, thus, prevented some schmaltzy, 'nothing' music to be played.
There was a reception perhaps, or some get together at the house.

Life went on and flowed into all the kaleidoscope of events that have followed.
Do read my several written thoughts and be informed of other remnants of my life.

Marina opus 88

Marina, woman of the sea, from Austria.
As you entered the room,
A light and a warm glow prevailed.
You have a gentleness that binds it all.
So comforting to mingle the conversation
With your European present and my distant past.
It was a pleasure to have spent time with you.

Swimming the Bosphorus opus 89

She was vivacious and full of adventure:
This was Betsy Harrell, the wife of Bryant, my new boss in Turkey,
(Now to be called Türkiye, as an act of Turkish Parliament).
He was Dean of the School of Science, at Robert College, now Bogazici Universitesi.
I met them in Nantucket, while carrying out my Cornell field work.
I graduated from grad school and was seeking a job--
Times were tough finding work at that time,
I was hired and off to Istanbul, Turkey, for a life's adventure!

At once, Betsy challenged me to a swim across the Bosphorus!
In Turkish it is named the Bogazici (Bo az e chi) 'The Neck',
Connecting the Black Sea with the Marmara, having swift currents between.
Of course I said yes and arrangements were made.
Bedros, the vibrant Armenian University carpenter from Bebek,
Manned the rowboat to accompany us.
We pushed off in Bebek and managed the currents as we were swept south.
As we crossed, a Russian ship loomed to the north above us.
Our efforts increased as we swam eastward towards Anatolia.
It loomed past us to the west and we made strokes onward.
Soon the traditional wooden houses came into focus shoreward.
And then our destination, now far to the south, the historic palace
Where Florence Nightingale had managed a Crimean War hospital
And then our hauling out in good health on the rocky shore.
Tired, but in good spirits, we rowed back with Bedros
And on to many Turkish adventures thereafter.

Comprehension opus 90

A friend said to me
'It is so wonderful
You work so hard to save the planet!'
I shot back, 'To save the planet.
May be too much for me alone,
But I am continually guiding.
To teach others how they might think.
And understand the biological process.
And geological phenomena,
So that as our 'fate' nears,
We will truly comprehend why we are surviving.
Or tumbling down into ruin.'
Thus, we might end the constant, meaningless cry,
'Why did god do this to me?'

The Aardvark Hole opus 91

Once again, we are in the Kalahari of Botswana.
A convoy of three Land Rovers slowly moving through the grassy Kalahari Desert.
We moved and camped; one inch of water per day in a basin
For washing of socks and/or parts of the body!
It was on an afternoon, moving towards Drotsky's Cave.
Suddenly the lead vehicle collapsed
With the left front wheel, falling into an Aardvark den-hole.
It was towards dusk and far from our camping destination.
The hole was deep and proposed a challenge, indeed!
Pulling with another vehicle alone proved fruitless.
A log was scrounged, a jack balanced thereon,
And, with the heightened level and great, skillful driving,
The vehicle was relievedly freed.

This moment was a renewed reminder to us all,
As to how precarious were our movements through this land,
Far from civilization and always near unaided catastrophe.
But how could one, when challenged with such,
Not partake in these wonderful but dangerous adventures?

The Poppies of Elsinore, California opus 92

When I was 10, I had my own paper route.
I folded each paper, stuffed them all in the cloth paperbag,
And rode off on my bicycle.
One afternoon about 1951, I was folding the papers
And reading the headlines that day as I folded,
I saw something I would never forget--
Why, I do not know, but there it was:
"The Earth's Population is now 3 Billion People."

Of course, now within my lifetime of 71 years from that time,
The earth has reached a growing total of over 8 billion persons!
The predictions are that things may level off at 10 or 11 billion.
Goodness-------.
Now on the radio today there was a news item
That in 2019, Elsinore, California, had thousands of visitors
To view the superabundance of Spring poppies.
So many people that it clogged the town to a standstill--
No towns people could follow their normal movements!
The highway blocked, driveways blocked, shopping centers blocked!
Then, Covid for two years and no visitors.
Now 2023 arrives with another poppy bumper crop.
The town was so traumatized in 2019,
That the mayor proclaimed all peripheral roads and parks were closed--
There were so many people who came before,
That now, NO ONE could enjoy the canyon flowers by the town.

Three billion to eight billion population and everyone is penalized--
Just trying to view some flowers!
Will we be able to manage our populations
With ever more growing vital life needs such as
Meds distribution, food availability, fuel consumption?
How might we really manage with such chaos?

Just What are We all About? opus 93

I am listening to NPR and their continual reporting
Of the Russian atrocities committed on the defiant Ukrainians.
It is sickening how we, Homo sapiens, treat each other.
We continually manifest the output of our reptilian brain:
The 'us and the them' with a coin flip as to how 'the them' is treated.
On the one hand we react with tremendous evilness.

The Turks on the Armenians;
The English on the Scots and other Celts;
The French on the Breton population;
The Germans and Austrians on the Jews;
The US whites on the African black slaves;
A. Lincoln on the severing of the Western lands
So as to cripple its Native Peoples
With the 'gifting' of the 40 acres and a mule.

On the other hand, the total opposite manifests:

William Penn peacefully negotiating and paying for the first PA territories;
The great female Russian ruler, Catherine, abolishing slavery;
The Germans and the Dutch, harboring Jewish families;
All those involved in the 'Underground RailRoad';
The brave pilots delivering supplies during the AirLift to Berlin;
Martin Luther King continually braving racist threats;
Susan B. Anthony and the other women on a fast to create the vote for women.
Such violence contrasted with such compassion.

Wouldn't it be so simple to create true peace,
As our cousins, the Bonobos, have evolved to do,
By abolishing aggression, culminating with a gentle act of intercourse.?

My Dream of the Golden-haired Microtus opus 94

In my dream, which I wondrously recalled upon waking,
Students divided up, some collecting normal brown-haired Microtus,
While I and others sought out the beautiful and fanciful, golden-haired specimens.
Is there any 'meaning' to this, (or to most others), only as a bizzare recounting--
Perhaps a mental culmination, after so many years,
Rewarding my love for this creature with which I mingled my Ph.D. student years,
By imagining a beautiful semi-fossorial and important Microtine,
Donning it with a mantle of golden hair?

The SinkHole opus 95

We were on a University safari in the Kalahari, Botswana.
We had explored the Drotsky's Cave area and other local points of interest.
Now the geologists wished to explore a special remote sinkhole.
I, the biologist, went along, studying my own subjects.
After several days of Land Rover driving,
We arrived at a wide opening on the flat African landscape.
I remember a grassy, treed area--not quite a true savannah.
Much climbing gear, with many lengths of rappelling line was hauled out of boxes.
Camp was set up and evening cooking alleviating much pending hunger!

Next morning, with a beautiful winter (Southern Hemisphere) sun.
Each explorer started the descent into the deep darkness.
Instructions and descriptions were called up from the cavern.
(We had no communication devices, except our clear, projected voices.)
A long vertical distance of just a hanging downwardness,
Finally to contact with a sloping wall,
And then a rappelling to a flat floor of the deep hole.
There appeared to be no tunnels nor exits outward.

All who were descending had done so and my turn had come.
Truthfully, I was not enthralled to hang in darkness,
Reaching a nondescript floor and gaze around.
I had also just gone through a dramatic Cesarean with my first son, Pierre.
My head swam with thoughts of what to do.
Was I to appear as a coward amongst the others?
Was I to be an absent hero for my faraway family?
They had not a clue just what I was confronting.
Was a line to snap and I would fall to certain death?
Was I to truly be missing the experience of my life,
By deciding it would be completely foolish
To take a gamble--similar gambles in my earlier life
To which I would never have hesitated?

This was truly a most difficult moment of decision--
Seldom would one have had such an opportunity--
Stories for future devoted and adhering grandchildren!

I just could not do it. In the end,
I just could not do it. . . .
My fear of death was overcome by my need for life.

Texted Thoughts to a Well Digger's Wife opus 96

Spots of mud remain everywhere,
Reminding me of your great endeavour,
To find that precious element of life.
Please use a portion of your remunerations
To do good works for our future world.

After Talking with my Friend, Jay opus 97

The first glance, the first attraction,
The first lightning bolt through the heart.
That is how human love often manifests itself.
If attraction continues, wonderful synergetic energy can emerge.

Then time passes and often those attracted become bored;
Lessening the magic and the co-activity.
Minds wander and new stimuli obtain.
This is the moment when decisive decisions must be made.
Does one rekindle the original passion,
Or move on to a new dangerous or unknown cycle?

It will all result from thought, determination, and the balance of emotions,
To continue the years together or sever all for a possible new existence.

Caught by a Catfish! opus 98

On one occasion (1985), using a 100 foot long seine and dragging the net from bank to bank (as always) we brought in a large number of catfish to harvest by the pond's edge. The top of a seine has cork floats and the bottom has a thick gathered rope mudline. As I was in my waders and working some snags away from shore, I suddenly felt a piercing pain in my right foot. Immediately I knew exactly what had occurred: A fish was caught sideways in the mudline, a barbed pectoral fin projecting straight upwards! Indeed, the fin had pierced my boot's sole, through the sock and into the ball of my foot. Instructing the student on the shore's end, to pull slowly as I limped in, I reached the bank, the fish connecting me with one fin to the line and the other in my foot-- Too painful to pull out, I reached down and snapped the bone, Thus freeing me from the fish and net, But still with a bone, locking the boot, sock, and foot together.

With great pain, the boot was dislodged, leaving a bare sock and foot (and fishbone)!

A trip to the nearby hospital, very painful anesthetic shots to numb the foot's pain, And the bone was removed, leaving a very sore, 'un-numbing' foot! After a drive back to the farm and to the evening chores, I started in limpingly to finish the end of the day's work. Such was the then life of a peasant on a farm with a PhD!

The Epitome of Life opus 99

Is to be so travelled (even in books!), so well read
And experienced in language, music,
Science and all things known to the mind,
That no matter who is encountered,
There is always a thread or a great current
Of recognition which yields a fellowship of bonding,
Rendering that bonding as though both minds
Had some common experience, custom,
Or ability that holds them together.

To Ingegerd opus 100

How often Sweden pulses through my mind--
Both genetically and experientially.
The plunder, but wisdom and ability
Of those who founded the government of Rusland.
(The Land of the Redheads!)
And trade routes from the North to the land of Egypt.

Perhaps a small amount of what I consider my wisdom
May have come from those forebears. . . .
But of course there is always mixed in,
My Celtic, Armenian, and the clever others
Who formed my phylogeny,
Passing on to me (among others)
My haplogroup g on the Y chromosome,
Manifested now in my ontogeny!

I do miss you, dear Swede.

F.

Paul, the South African opus 101

Paul of South Africa, a sensitive, gentle man.
One who became one with the wondrous creatures
Of his continent--the great remnants of former planetary creatures.
Massive herds; an ebb and flow of migration;
Even the intimacy of close encounters with ancient rhinos.

Now married to a North American
And a new interaction with his world.
An expatriate, notified that all who have left the MotherLand,
Must return or lose their citizenship.
Much like Joseph and Mary required to sign into their birthplace,
Even though Mary is with child
And it is with difficulty that she travels.
Or that Paul, linguistically tattooed
With his magical accent,
Defining him to his place of birth,
Is separated from that place
And his very being.
Like the tattooed Jew, ostracized from Austria,
Landless, countryless, Serengeti-less
From his true natal origins.
Conundrum, confusion, anger, angst.
Where is his center, his identification,
His Mother Africa?

Juan the Basque opus 102

I am of the Basque stock--
Sheep and our coexistence therewith.
Our ancestors left the Old Ways and territories--
North of Spain and the wonders of that place,
To the rough wilds of mountainous Nevada.
Sheep were the source of meat and wool:
Work to butcher; work to shear; work to move for ever-new pastures.

I remember as a boy our movements from place to place in Nevada--
From Duck Water (near Ely), north, to Mountain City (north of Elko) in the Spring
And then back south to Duck Water in the Fall.
All the mountains were nicely arranged,
Their spines protruding North to South.
They guided our directional herding very well.

Now on the trail: dogs, horses, with thousands of bearers of wool.
I remember the sounds--bleeting and baahing:
The smell of dust and urine, and faeces and lanolin.
We moved slowly North and South, time after time.
Camped; the dogs managing the animals.
Our fires warmed us and gave us heat for cooking.
Coyotes occasionally crying out mournfully, beautifully in the distance--
Sometimes not so distant.
Vigilance; and human responsibility for those coexisting.

The final times of herding were always
A relief as well as a loss of a magical existence.
Back to 'civilization' and those fellows
Who comprehended nor felt nothing of what we had done.

Each time I touch an article of wool,
Now in my urban life,
I longingly recall those marvellous days
Which, except in far places of the earth,
Will never be repeated in my time nor place.

Little Dinosaurs at my Window opus 103

Little dinosaurs fly onto my birdfeeder,
Reminding me of our Earth's past.
How the wonders of Evolution
Have rendered those present.
Giant reptilian creatures,
Now small (for the most part).
Feathered, hollow boned--pneumatic--
Enchanting and delicate creatures
Of our now world.

Telah, the Basotho Pony opus 104

One afternoon in the hills above the University (Roma, Lesotho),
I was driving along the smooth rock-based road,
Looking for a horse to buy to fulfill my equestrian desires.

Lesotho (Lesootoo) is renowned for its Basotho (Basootoo) Pony,
A horse which could be taught to triple--
A combination of an 'urged trot' and a 'restrained cantor'.
This 'pony' is one of the few breeds in the world,
Which is able to manage such a gait--
A gait which, when controlled well, is as smooth as glass!

So, that was my goal: scouting for an animal,
Which would also fulfill my aesthetic desires.
I had seen and checked out several that day,
But nothing had struck my fancy that was available.
Time was passing on towards mid afternoon,
When suddenly a rider approached on the road,
Mounted on a brilliant, muscular, red pony.
I stopped the old VW van and quickly descended to the dirt road.
The Mosotho rider stopped, dismounted and we shook hands.
He was wearing his conical, woven Basotho hat
And wrapped around his shoulders was the so-called Basotho blanket.
I explained that I was looking for a horse
And this one certainly struck my fancy.
He explained where he lived and asked that I return tomorrow.
I agreed, we shook hands once again
And I drove off with a pounding heart--
A beautiful pony indeed!

The next afternoon, having taught my biology lessons for the day,
I drove back up the smooth rock face above the school
And headed on towards the appointed group of rondavels--
The circular houses in which most Basotho dwell.
There was the red pony, as gorgeous as I had remembered.
We conversed for an hour, back and forth,
And finally decided on a price, agreeable to us both.

In anticipation of a possible fulfilled agreement,
I had a backup driver to return with the van
And I, with not only the horse, but also a fitted saddle,
Rode back down to the University horse barns.
The trip took two hours and the ride was magnificent.
Telah (Taylah) was strong with a determined will.
(That will, would, sadly, be his later undoing!)
Back then, home, I was at last the proud owner of a Basotho Pony.

Telah and I would have many happy rides together,
Through the open Lesotho valleys and mountains.
However, the next episode will divulge the sad departing
Of my beautiful Telah from me forever.

Telah's Sad Undoing. Part 2 opus 105

Ah, Telah (Taylah) my beautiful red Basotho (Basootoo) Pony.
How I loved your magnificence and strength.
We trotted, tripled, and cantored across the face of Lesotho;
This startling red pony caught the eye of all we passed.

In Lesotho (Lesootoo), the tenth (?) poorest country in the world,
Anyone with means, as we expatriate teachers had,
Hired a man or woman to work around or in the house.
I, being a biologist, had several animals in the yard,
Including a rescued maccac from an experimental lab.
I also had a garden which required maintenance as well.
Then of course, there were two horses--
Lots to keep a hired person busy and earning a relatively nice wage.
During the day the house animals and the garden
Needed feeding, watering, and special care.
The two horses were tethered out to graze each morning,
Moved for better grazing at noon and led back to the barn each evening.

One evening our 'hired hand' came rushing back to the house.
He had been leading Telah and his companion, a lovely mare, back to the stable,
When, suddenly, it was explained, Telah bolted and broke free.
Down the road he raced and was maneuvering a small bend to the left.
His forward momentum overcame the need to gallop left--
Over the right edge of the raised road and straight into an electric pole.
His right shoulder caught the pole and he instantly dropped.

I called the Maseru vet, who arrived quite quickly.
(Quickly for Lesotho that is--there was always 'African Time'.)
The diagnosis: no chance of repair--
Must be put down--such a decision.
I told the vet to proceed as soon as I had left--
I could not bear to witness such a thing.

Before I left, my hired man approached:
"If it were alright, may we butcher and take the meat?"
These people were the poorest of the poor.
I pondered, wondering what to do.
A neighbor South African family of a mother and three daughters
Heard what was transpiring and came to me.
"This horse should be buried properly and not butchered!"
Oh, goodness. Horse lovers versus semi-starving people.
Whatever I did, I would have to live with it!
I was a guest in a country of desperately poor people.
I decided to allow the dividing up of the body--
My beautiful Telah; energy passed from horse to human.

I never lived it down with the family.
Once again, Human philosophy colliding,
By acting with an attempt, trying to result in a 'Rightful' outcome.

Some Thoughts opus 106

I am older now--coming on 82 years!
I wonder how, with so many dropping dead around me,
That I have made it so far.
The ones close and still around me--many--ignore me
Or are short, and only text--seeing that they
Have such 'demanding' pressure to exist!

I remember the (Newton, MA) neighbor children
Across the street banging their kitchen pots--
The end of WWII of which I was not really cognisant
Nor of its horrors.
I did learn later how my father designed
The Army Aircorps oxygen masks to fly--freeze free--
Higher above the Axis powers' aircraft.

I timidly was involved in the Civil Rights movement,
But when Vietnam loomed into our lives,
I was strongly involved in protests and countering wherever I could.

The planet is now challenged with our neglect of the air and sea.
The remainder of my life will be towards staving off this disaster.

But as I age, there are those who respect my efforts
And those who do not yet recognize my worth:
Strong statements to put me in my place.
Loving outreach which I wish for;
Lost because of the new communication--
Little talk and only the cold world of texting and emails.

I am not sure of what will become of me or my conservation attempts.
I feel helpless in the looming of inevitable death.
I will be in eternal darkness and powerlessness.
No longer able to care nor help nor act.
Will someone reach out with a soft, warm, loving hand?

Recyling opus 107

Turned into the yard
With my load of recycling materials.
Metal scraps here, bins there--
Ordered chaos all around.
Retrieved a dolly and receiving barrels.
Dumping now mostly plastic bottles,
Along with their myriad of caps,
Carefully segregated--each in its own barrel.
(The CRV, California return value, specially separate!)
Barrels full, up to the weight master,
Contents, each dumped together, by category.

Oh, a cap fell out on the floor!
"Please retrieve that back into my load."
The Weight Master laughed.
"That is only one cap--no weight!"
"Ah", I said, "but with the other hundred,
A measurable amount of weight does accrue!"
On that note the Weight Master
Not only retrieved my single cap,
But grabbed several other orphan caps,
Scattered and remaining on the floor,
And threw them smilingly into my load!

Moral: One vote really does count.
One aborted, polluting, but unnecessary trip does count.
One purchase of an energy efficient device does count.
One meal with no leftovers thrown away does count.
One cup of water not squandered does count.
One family with a planned size does count.

Yes, even one bottle cap, together with others,
Does count.

AI (Artificial Intelligence) opus 108

What sort of warped mind
Would fake the countenance and words of the Pope?
Or fake those of presidents or film stars?
Will AI be utilized to rewrite our 'holy' scriptures?
(Hmmm--substituting one set of myths for another?)
Will there be a time when counterfeit news
Won't be discerned from what actually occurred
So that populations will be manipulated like a circus elephant?

What of our science reporting--
Completely constructed from AI--
(Many papers now submitted, are already based on this horrible flaw.)

And students--from high school to university--
Will their degrees be as fake as their 'research'?
Will our society ultimately be just a house of cards
And collapse around us in a heap of confused rubble?

Will missiles be so supersonic
That only AI might be able to intercept?--
Decisions required to be made so fast--way beyond human ken.
Regarding this; one voice has cried out:
'May such systems at least be programmed
With compassion and understanding
To result in a more 'human' outcome.'

There are of course, positive uses for AI;
In medicine, engineering, bioscience, various devices, and possibly even art.
But is the tradeoff otherwise worth these AI 'advances'?.

Atomic energy was once viewed as a 'saveall' for the world,
But, as is now occurring with nuclear-armed Russia over Ukraine,
Will the world be held helplessly as a hostage
To the possible outcome of our own creation?

Sunrise opus 109

Ah, there at last comes Earth's Golden Eye,
Edging slowly upwards and ever sightly to the West,
To shower our life-laden globe
With its nurturing, warming rays.

[ 'Life-laden' for now;
As we are continuously 'directing' our own
"Sixth Extinction Symphony" in D Minor. ]

Flying I. Dream of Flying opus 110

As a child, I always longed to fly.
I would stand at one end of a field
And, with my wings which were part of my body,
I would start to run, wings outspread and pumping;
Slowly I arose into the air, my legs bending backward.
Straining ever-more, I strove with great effort
To rise higher and higher--the goal was to be able
To clear the hedge of trees which confronted me.
In my mind of imagination, I would always
Be relieved when I would always clear the trees.

Having accomplished my act towards complete freedom,
I winged my way across the world to pure adventure.

Flying II. A Trip to Buzzards Bay opus 111

Being quite young--perhaps 4 in 1945,
I remember one trip with my Dad to Buzzards Bay, MA.
We were in the high altitude equipment production plant,
I, standing next to his right side,
As he expounded some directions to a coworker.
My Dad always had soft, large hands,
With a particular scent.
I will always remember that sweet, masculine scent.
I am not sure what moved me at that moment,
But I recall moving closer to his side
(I was tall enough to reach his hand on his extended arm)
And nuzzled my nose into his palm,
Inhaling his delicious scent; giving me a childlike high
And a basic mammalian feeling of belonging
To another of my species:
To another whom I knew had accomplished important and great feats--
And to whom I belonged as a child of my dear Father.

Flying III. At the Airport opus 112

I dreamed of flying all through my childhood--
First, by having actual wings which were a part of my body musculature,
Followed by a more realistic bonding with actual flying machines.
Growing older--10 or 12--I often asked my father
About the many stories I heard him tell concerning testing, the terrible 'bends',
And the triumphs and manufacture of his war-time inventions.

(My father did a great deal of business flying--
Let alone, having designed the oxygen mask and other related equipment
For higher flights--41,000 feet--by our pilots during WWII,
Who were assaulted from above by--for a while--Axis pilots.)

As a result of hearing all this past history during my youth,
I wanted to see real aircraft and thus one day,
Departed with my father to the Boston Logan International Airport to watch planes!

There was a long viewing ramp along the roof
On which I roamed from area to area--
Following all the arrivals and departures of every airline--a thrill a moment!
I could have wandered back and forth forever,
But there was always that time to go home.

Flying IV. The Interview opus 113

As my interest for flight was increasing ever-more,
And I had reached the Junior High level,
I was assigned, along with all my classmates,
For each of us to interview a person in a desired, future profession.
Of course I chose to speak with a pilot.
Somehow, because of all the 'Million Miles' my father had accrued,
He managed an interview for me with an American Airlines pilot;
With all my written questions ready--
And planned space to pen my expected answers.

I remember the sunny afternoon, driving together with my Dad,
Back to the airport, but now to a large office complex
Below the observation walkway where I had watched planes so often in the past.

The interview went well, yielding in depth information,
And I left feeling a greater longing to somehow fly a plane.

Exchange between two Philosophies opus 114

F. May I read you a Shabbat poem or is that considered work?

A. I avoid calls during Shabbat. Too tired now, will call later.

F. Hello. Yes, I know about calls on Shabbat, but I was 'urged'
   To read you a 'Shabbat thought' written on that day,
   Concerned with our lethargy to aid the Earth and thus us.
   I seldom break the 'rules', but this was an act of civil disobedience
   With a good motive. Remember, even Palestrina 'illegally'
   Slipped in dissonance now and then, despite the church!
   (Lower case 'c' on purpose.)

Rest well, dear friend.

F.

Who Will Win? opus 115

As with so many who sacrificed during WWII,
My father with a weakened heart, afflicted with Scarlet Fever in childhood,
Invented, tested, and produced his high altitude breathing equipment
To enable our pilots to outmaneuver their Axis counterparts;
He suffered the bends and stress at 41,000 feet
And died young at 59 years of age.
Many more sacrificed their lives much quicker,
From exploding bombs and direct bullets.

Why did so many sacrifice so much, so intensively?
Well, the world finally realized that a world under Hitler
Would be a life under a mad dictator.

Today, an analogous situation obtains.
The Earth's lungs are being polluted and suffocated.
Fires, flooding, melting, the disappearing Rainforest and pandemics--
All occurring too fast; unnecessarily.
Who is the Hitler now? Who wishes to control everything for Hiser* pleasure?
It is Us; and shamefully so, as indeed Pogo Possum** once uttered.

The question is: Will we truly unite and muster our efforts,
Realizing the terrific, self-destructive, pending danger?

Dedicated to Maureen and George

* Heesh, Hiser, Herm, Hermself; nonsexist pronouns coined by
Prof. L. A. Timm, linguist, 1966 and my late wife.

** Pogo Possum; Walt Kelly comic strip, political satirist, opossum:
'We have met the enemy and he is us' 1970 (first Earth Day in San Francisco).

Flying V: After a long Hiatus opus 116

A long interim of school, work, and marriage,
Until graduate school hit and my related field work.
I was studying blood transferrins of the Meadow Vole, Microtus pennsylvanicus.
I managed to be accepted in the Conservation Department of Cornell,
Working with electrophoresis under Professor Charles Sibley.
(His son, David Allen Sibley, paints and writes the bird ID guides!)
Field work consisted of capturing these voles from under hay bales
In nearby Ithaca (NY) hay fields--all set up for me.
From under distributed hay bales, I would flip and lunge for my 'prey'.
In my five years, I captured and bred more than 6000 rodents.

Nearby was the Ithaca airport
Which spewed out plane after plane, winging over my fields.
After several months, I could take it no longer,
And bicycled over to the nearby port to inquire about lessons.
Unhesitantly I signed up for whatever was going to come.
For more than 30 hours, I concentrated diligently to earn my first solo flight.
What an absolute thrill to rise from the earth alone,
And maneuver this machine to come round and return safely to the waiting ground!
Many more tests would occur before a license was granted:
Flying cross country with a map spread over my lap--
The railway tracks--on the north or the south side of that highway?;
Realizing I needed to connect the map with rising topography ahead;
Listening to the radio announcement of another student,
Landing simultaneously, heading straight towards me from the incorrect direction;
Landing in the dark--control lights off and listening to the wind
Through an open window so as not to stall;
Dropping abruptly down over a barrier of trees
In order to reach a short runway immediately ahead.

Tough lessons which provoked deep thought and common sense;
Preparing me for a series of further flying challenges.
Which actually kept me alive!

Elena. Physical Therapist opus 117

Ah, lovely Elena with her braided hair;
She works so dexterously with her nimble hands,
To heal the bodies of her fellow sapiens.

Of Mediterranean stock--
She is an asset to both her present and her past.

The Wonderful Horseshoe Crab opus 118

The Wonderful Horseshoe Crab's existence is being torn between two worlds.
Our American Horseshoe crab, Limulus polyplemus,
(Which has been extant for 200 million years--a fossil for 480 million!),
Arrives each year to lay its eggs on our eastern shores--
Masses crawl up the beach, dig holes to lay; eggs fertilized in situ.
The egg laying timing coincides with the migration of the Red knot, Calidris canutus,
Flying, and requiring added 'egg' energy for its voyage from South America to the far north.
Both species thus coincide--except now for climate change,
When the egg laying and birds' arrival time are slowly shifting out of sync
The FIRST pending calamity manifesting from human activity.

Now come humans, with all their enquiring and invention;
The blue blood of the crab is desired and harvested.
Whatever for?
When added to tested medications, clotting occurs,
If and when impurities obtain in any otherwise desired result.
Millions of crabs are harvested and bled,
Some are returned to the wild to assuage the human conscience,
But most ultimately, surely succumb and are no more.
The crab population needlessly and tragically dwindles
Even though there is now a less expensive manufactured replacement,
Less used, but perfectly ready to be substituted!
Why? Perhaps the gatherers of the crabs, being shielded, will lose employment;
So let's just continue with the status quo.
This, the SECOND pending calamity manifesting from human activity.

The Crab's welfare versus Human welfare--a certain dilemma in an ever-complicated world.

Humanism opus 119

Religion reigns supreme throughout the world.
Whose god is stronger, more benevolent, more just?
We also feel free to kill and conquer to ensure the survival of our philosophy.
"That group does not have our saviour in their lives
And we need to involve ourselves in their lives
To enlighten them to comprehend our text of truth!"
What encourages people to be obligated to conquer minds?
To convince that their belief is definitely the way to a truly free death,
To allow one to slip into the final level of supreme existence?

But there is another way to enlightenment:
The love and respect of all life around us;
Understanding that there was no miraculous, godly creation,
But rather an evolutionary struggle of adaptation--
To fit into the great mosaic of life,
To survive successfully and replicate
To reach a positive reproductive level.
That is the basis of all life on our planet of life--
Oh, and nothing more is needed for all this incredible productivity!

Radiation and Half a Beard opus 120

I am, at 81, well into my Third Age.
With this comes challenges to health;
Cancer; the nemesis of human existence.
A neck squamous cell challenged my life
And it was decided to thoroughly operate;
Muscle removed, glands eradicated, and a graft.
The graft became a joke,
In that my neck started a strip of beard,
Borrowed from my chin!

Now, after some healing, the discussion commenced to radiation.
Oh, my. Another decision.
More than a month, for every working day,
I journeyed to Sacramento--the radiation center
Of the Mercy group--Mercy? Perhaps.

Encapsulated in a modelled, personalized upper body form,
Lying immobile, imprisoned; slowly, the pending feast of a Bar-B-Que.
As the days passed, the effect began to be manifested
In redness, rawness, and rigid muscles;
But I was still alive, perhaps now fully saved
By the additional prophylactic radiation.
Oh, and it was mentioned that, "You might lose your left beard!"

Time passed and, indeed, no beard and just bare, soft skin.
Friends showed their sympathy and compassion
But added, "Well, with half a beard, you surely will remove the opposite side?"
Now in my Third Age, without hesitation,
I blurted out with gusto,
"Of course not; I will just create a new style."

The Octopus opus 121

A creature with incredible intelligence.
Eyes that rival those of many creatures in the world:
The ability to recognize different human faces;
Acrobats, with the "dexterity" to escape through small outlets;
Possessing small pigment sacks, allowing complex color changes.

But the profound and sympathetic question is--
Why with potentially toxic bodily hormones,
Must these fascinating creatures die within one year?
If octopuses were to live to 80 years as we do,
Might they be able to take over the world
And possibly improve the place of our constantly conflicted species?

Grasping onto a Future Past opus 122

Ornithologists are a very dedicated group--
Studying the relationships of our remnant dinosaurs.
With pending, ominous climate change,
Birds are our climate barometers--
Manifesting sensitive changes of their ranges,
As humans continue to spew waste into the atmosphere.

Many recordings are carefully being created
To preserve the present sounds of the many various habitats--
For future analysis when all is changed or lost.

Lovers of their ornithological creatures

Are, for all of us, truly grasping onto a future past.

Our Honey Bee opus 123

Much of our agricultural system is partially built on a house of cards.
California, for instance, has over 1600 species of native bees,
All species of which are full-time pollinators.
But upon what species do we mostly rely for controlled pollination?
It is the European--yes European--Honey Bee,
Introduced long ago from the European invasion of North America.

For many years (40+), I conducted walking tours on Quail Ridge Reserve,
Now part of the Natural Reserve System of the University of California, Davis.
Whenever I came upon a native Buckeye tree,
I would ask, "Why, with all those large, phallic blossoms,
Are the blossoms' 'products' lethal to our Honey Bee?"
Few could ever correctly answer, but the answer is in its name!
European.
By introducing a non-native species to a new region of the world,
There is always the risk of potential catastrophe.
Some living thing--plant or animal-- will find a 'weakness',
And in the world of evolution, will take advantage for its own survival.
The European Honey Bee has not evolved in North America
To be able to pollinate a California Buckeye with its toxins.
Just as it has now rapidly been barraged with parasites.

It is always dangerous to introduce much of anything
To another region without risk:
Especially a creature introduced, which also lives in a huge community!
Is this phenomenon a warning that a gigantic human population
Is relying absolutely too much on cultures of another gigantic population?
As we watch the 'emergence' of virus, spreading through our hospitals and the world,
We must teach our young to truly understand the principles of evolution,
And that the phenomenon, is ever-guided through natural selection.

My Lost, Saved Tooth opus 124

I remember it was the day Einstein died--
In the 50's.
My family, including Dad, Mother, John, and Susan,
Was doing the traditional family visit to Washington, D.C.;
Our impressive, but historically troubled capitol.

We children were "horsing around" in the morning hotel room
And my mother was just plain fed up,
Grabbed her hairbrush and attempted to smack me on the rear--
But, I swung around and the blow landed on my mouth!

Well, the tooth eventually died;
The root was refilled and remains now a dead entity.
In later age, as my other teeth are themselves challenged,
One that is standing strong is the old, dead tooth!

Indeed, one may not always be able to extrapolate an unexpected future!

{'The best laid schemes o' Mice and Men gang oft agley (awry),
Robert Burns, November 1785.}

The Human Third Age opus 125

It has been studied that older humans are basically happier than the younger.
Why is this true? Older humans look at a limited time span
And are more content with what they have and have accomplished
Than the younger set, who are concerned about an unknown, long future,
Where they have much less control.
This principle needs teaching to the older generation,
Who could occasionally be boosted by a 'futurist' shot in the arm,
And to the younger, who need to calm themselves,
By living sometimes in the comforting, occasional 'Now'.

Greatness opus 126

A person cannot try to be great--
From their works, it naturally occurs.

The Bumblebee; a California Fish? opus 127

Under certain circumstances, a California court
Has ruled bees can legally be considered fish 'under specific circumstances'.
So, does the bumblebee, for instance, a terrestrial invertebrate,
Fall within the definition of fish (Endangered Species Act 2062)?
The Act itself protects "native species or subspecies
Of bird, mammal, fish, amphibian, reptile, or plant."
Invertebrates are conspicuously absent from that list of protected species!
But there is a lucky loophole for insects, mollusks, and other spineless creatures,
Falling under the umbrella term "invertebrate":
The actual act defines a "fish" as a "wild fish, mollusk,
Crustacean, INVERTEBRATE, amphibian or part, spawn, or ovum therefrom.
So, this expansion of the definition of fish to include invertebrates,
Allows them for greater protection from the Fish and Game Commission,
And just in time for several species of endangered bumblebee!

No wonder the 'law' can do almost anything!
It is just those germane, ferreted-out words and phrases.

A Text to my Grandson opus 128

My grandson, Rowan, is almost three years old--
Starting to be verbally interactive--what a relief and joy!
Today I texted him via his father's cell phone the following :

    Rowan! See my Betta fish (photo included).
    I think it would be nice for you to have one.
    Let's talk. L. (love).

Ok, why want to push a fish on a three year old?
Well, I have four wonderfully interesting Betta individuals.
I place them each in a large, clear vase--no aeration needed;
These beautiful, variable Asian fish gulp air whenever necessary;
Water change is limited and uncomplicated;
Feeding consists of five Betta pellets in morning or afternoon;
A water conditioner can be occasionally added.
Simple enough--but then the fun begins!

When I feed in the morning (a good time for me),
I first gently tap on the vase and let five Betta food pellets
Fall onto the water's surface.
These clever fish soon learn the routine
And even follow me as I pass by their individual vases.

Such fun and character-building for a little boy to learn the joys
Of interacting with another totally different species than he,
And there is a good chance, with some wise guidance,
He will be closer to having a healthy respect and 'reverence for life'.

Wasting Food opus 129

We live in a generally wealthy society with, for most, plenty of food.
Indeed, too many choices, flavors, brands. . . . . . .
How many times have you been invited to another's dinner
And, after partaking in a marvellous meal,
The table is cleared and most of the leftovers, slopped down the disposal?
One friend reported she had relatives come to their home to stay awhile,
And they complained (!) about the cooking,
Took over the kitchen, prepared far too much for each meal,
And proceded to attempt to cast the rest down the disposal!
The host at that point, put her foot down--
"We do not throw good food away; we use the leftovers!"
Well, nothing changed and all continued as before,
So, when the guests departed, the friend said to me,
"And now we are eating many leftovers from a very full fridge!"

I also had a similar experience several years ago,
When partaking of dinner with a family of four (with two ten year olds).
I distinctly remember hotdogs, buns and other sundries
Pushed from each 'finished' plate into that gaping hole in the middle of the sink!

200 tons or more per day, much directly off our plates, are discarded
By families, restaurants, and processors in this country.
How can this be occurring so rampantly?
I was made to 'eat three bites' of something not liked at the table;
My children were guided to do the same.
In a school where I taught in Switzerland,
I followed the same practice with great success--
One stubborn eater even declared, after trying his three bites,
 "This was great food", and demonstratively gulped it all down.

Do we just have too much, with too many choices
And also along with that, too little discipline,
Allowing our children and then, later adults,
To be continually spoiled as they proceed through all of life's experiences?

As a farmer, among other things, to make all ends meet,
My mindset had been successfully formed by my parents' approach to food and dining.
Wastefulness in one of life's practices may very well lead
To a myriad of other undesirable approaches to life.

Coming from a farmer, ecologist, teacher, parent, and octogenarian,
This might not be such bad advice for the challenges we face in this new 21st century!

Are We Floundering, Using the Name Halibut? opus 130

Consider the marvelous evolutionary changes of this group through natural selection: The pressures to exist flat on the sea bed yield new habitat possibilities with new combined food sources. It was adaptive to have both eyes on one side, but fins, including the pectoral fins, remain almost the same--even when next to the sea bed. The research shows that with one group there was a recent speciation after the invasion of a common ancestor into the Atlantic from Southern Africa during the Pleistocene. But more to the evolutionary point-- The group of fish called Flatfish are the only vertebrates totally asymmetrical. Attempts since ancient times have been made to explain the origin of this characteristic. Flatfish when hatched are symmetrical with bilateral eyes and fins. The larvae live pelagically high above the sea bed. But, with life's advances, they lose the swim bladder and acquire a strange appearance : Totally flattened, a pigmented upper side, an asymmetrical skull-- two eyes together and inclined in relation to the twisted mouth. They are flattened sideways with a less developed whitish lower side. They have morphed to become benthic yielding their strange shape which allows them to move, feed, and defend themselves very well in this environment! These fish have lores with the Jewish people calling soles 'Moses fish' and with St. Peter who was burned by the Flatfish and the Romans who called them 'The Sole of Jupiter' because of the shape.

Lamarck in 1809 explained through 'gradualism' that with their 'need' to be attentive above they experienced the displacement of an eye and their flattening. Later, Darwin partly accepted this idea, but added his thoughts on the process of natural selection. In 1933, Richard Goldschmidt argued that Flatfish were a good example of 'hopeful monsters'-- due to mutations expressed in beginning stages of development and finally in adults which give rise to very different morphology--

Asymmetrical fish from symmetrical fish! Today, recent paleontology studies have found that fossils from 45 million years ago had eyes and their morphology obtained positions between symmetrical and asymmetrical arrangement. Thus we see that this process went through intermediate stages and did not occur abruptly. As stated before, there is a great variety of 'right' or 'left' species but the Thornback Turbot has 'right' and 'left' occurring in equal frequency. This group is closest to the beginning of the Flatfish evolutionary tree with the least asymmetry. So thought concludes that asymmetry first occurred randomly or in relation to environmental variations in this group, and that later was controlled by genes in other related species. In general there were no abrupt changes in any single genes during development but that in their development there are changes in the expression of certain genes and these changes explain the various characteristics of Flatfish: asymmetry, coloration and all!

Note: It is interesting that in 10,000 year old cave paintings, one can determine to which species the paintings depicting Flatfish belong. A depiction of one fish with its right-side twist in the cave of La Pileta, Spain, may just be a Flounder!

Herding Geese opus 131

Herding geese is definitely not like herding cats.
I should know because my little farm produced 600 geese annually.
(And I also had unherdable cats on the farm, thanks to Nora, my now late wife.)
These were not 'water birds' as one might suspect,
Rather they were pasture-raised Embden Geese, A large, handsome, agile-on-land, white bird.

To work with geese, one manipulates them to move anywhere,
Simply by walking near them, raising one's arms--left or right or both,
 And the mass of white, cloud-like life bunches,
Then turns to the left with a right arm signal,
Obviously, turning correspondingly with a left arm raised,
And straight ahead with both arms raised above one's shoulders.
To split a smaller group off from the larger body,
One merely holds both arms raised and walks quickly forward.

Such a wonderful feeling, being able to gently control
Such a large group of fellow farm creatures,
Almost the same as conducting a Brahms symphony,
Leading an orchestra of one hundred!

May We not lose Our Joshua Trees! opus 132

The Human-augmented climate crisis is taking its toll everywhere.
What seems at first just subtle shifts of the environment,
Suddenly explode in our face, manifesting pending disaster.
Such is the plight of the Joshua Tree--
That Doctor Seuss-like succulent with its comical, upright 'arms'.
They are dying from the worst drought in more than a thousand years.
Beyond that, housing developments have divided reproducing populations,
And now wildfires have increased across their desert.

Developers in the region are concerned that their activities will be encumbered.
And opposing environmental groups are concerned
About the total demise of this unique organism.
This scenario is just a small manifestation
Of the thousands of potential conflicts which will 'raise their heads',
As we earthlings proceed further into the misty unknown
Of what our exploding human population has created.

We must teach our children, the inheritors of this terrible creation,
So that they better understand and can possibly cope
And intellectually ameliorate the huge challenges they will face.
At 82, I only wish I could 'stay around'
To aid them in a problem I have helped create!
I am so sorry.

Dear Agave Plant opus 133

Oh, dear agave plant, who yields to us your wondrous juices,
Giving us joy, when imbibing your processed 'nectar',
Have we, through the negligence of our planet,
Forfeited your yield because of our criminal warming,
Careless uncontrolled habitat loss, and overharvesting?
By removing your flowering stalk early,
So as to energize the base-stalk for added sugars and production,
And, as well, affecting the Long-nosed bat, having no flowers to feed upon,
And no flowers to pollinate for your own multiplication,
Your numbers are threatened as well as those of the symbiotic nectarivore.

What on earth are we truly able to do?
Oh, of course--management and restoration!
(Perhaps also cutting back on our tequila consumption?)
Hmm, the latter is sort of a joke, I guess.

Rare Earth Metals opus 134

Here we go again!
Now on the seabed, rare earth metals
Have been 'discovered' in brownie-colored muck.
The question, those who are aware are now asking,
'Just how might these elements be harvested
Without destroying this whole seabed ecosystem?'
Once again, our earth most likely will be compromised
As a result of the 'needs' of the Runaway Species!

As Pogo stated in 1970, commemorating the first Earth Day in S.F.,
"We have met the enemy and He is Us."

The Pacific Pond Turtle opus 135

Most people in California have no idea
That they are sharing territory with the Pacific Pond Turtle--
The only freshwater turtle in the state.
(There may be a possibly extinct Mud Turtle
Originally recorded from the Imperial Valley.)
This species is struggling now, competing with introduced species.

Certain ethnic grocery stores freight in the Southern Painted Turtle and the Elegant Slider.
They are imported for human consumption,
But, sadly, many are kept as pets, only to be released or are escapees.
Other ethnic groups buy many to be part of a religious service and are then released.
People often feel 'sorry' for captive creatures and good-heartedly 'let them go'.

As with all unwanted (by the knowing) introductions,
The 'culprits' have no idea the huge harm they are causing
To the long established native species,
Resulting from the generally unequal competition by those introduced.
There is no good judgement nor proper evaluation
Of these innocent acts which cause this basic biological chaos,
Because the majority of us do not take the time nor care
To learn the flora and fauna of our own ecosystem,
Thus allowing these thoughtless acts to occur around us.
Humans formerly knew well their surroundings
In order to gather and hunt food, collect materials to construct or build,
And knew what was safe and what was dangerous to their lives.

There are so many stories of visitors hiking and resting in a patch of poison oak,
Or swimming in an unknown river with a dangerous current,
Or consuming a mushroom that causes a fatal end,
Or bringing in foreign plants, because of homesickness or because 'it looks nice'.
To learn one's surroundings takes time and patience,
But the joy of understanding one's 'place' and its inhabitants,
Is boundless and is helpful for one's own being
And the protection of fellow creatures (including plants!).

The Labyrinth opus 136

Fish have gills, Silly: How else would they breathe?
Well, because of evolution through natural selection,
A group of fish (there are many other examples)
Inhabiting the Vietnam, Laos, Malaysia area are the Bettas.
Bettas were originally found in Thailand.
They are among the oldest domesticated fish species in the world,
Having been owned as pets for more than 4000 years!
They survive in small puddles of water, in rice fields, and ditches.
Because of the uncertain fluctuating oxygen supply,
They have evolved a structure at the bony base of the gill,
Called a labyrinth, which allows not only gill breathing,
But also the intake of air, by gulping, this interacting within the labyrinth,
Supplementing the often low oxygen content in the surrounding water.
The labyrinth contains plates with a myriad of oxygen absorbing blood vessels
Which gather inhaled air now trapped inside a group of folds
And then absorbed into the main bloodstream.

Bettas are obligate air breathers in that they occasionally must take in oxygen from the air.
The other group of labyrinth fish are facultative air breathers,
Which only breathe at the surface when running low on oxygen.
Bettas breathe using their labyrinth organ, day and night,
So they prefer sleeping under large plants near the water's surface
And thus do not need to exert extra energy to rise to the top for a quick gulp.

Interestingly, they use this organ to create 'bubble nests' at the surface.
The males blow bubbles to form one of these nests as part of their reproductive process,
But even single males will make a bubble nest, if content in their space!

Just another fascinating creature to get to know and this is why
Natural history study makes one an ever-more interesting person.

Try it!

Anthropocene Epoch opus 137

Never before has a geologic time span been named for humans,
But we are, embarrassingly, the center of attention.
Humans have literally caused so much chaos
And affected almost every square meter of our earth,
Beginning with an atomic blast to continued plastic pollution.

Such a branding of this epoch is to give us great shame.
Are we truly almost nearing the limits for our earth?

I. Human-caused Evolutionary Changes - Tuskless Female Elephants in Mozambique opus 138

Wars cause many changes, but tuskless elephants?
The 15 year war in Mozambique, caused culling for ivory.
Almost all (90%) of the elephant population was destroyed in
Gorongosa Park, just to finance senseless human warfare.
Half of the surviving females were tuskless;
Before the war, fewer than a fifth lacked tusks.
The tusks are used to dig for water, strip bark, and joust.
Now tuskless individuals feed mostly on grasses,
Whereas those remaining with tusks eat legumes and tough woody plants.
This is a major change in food preference!

The dominant gene for tusklessness is carried on the X chromosome,
So only one X chromosome needs to carry the gene--
And remember that female mammals have two X's.
But when the affected X is passed to a male with one X and one Y,
That single X is basically lethal and may be the one
To affect male development and thus early embryonic death.
The general thought is that evolution takes a long time,
But here we see major relative change within a 15 year time span!
The tuskless surviving females gave birth to daughters, about half being tuskless.
And because of the lethal gene on the X, two-thirds of their offspring were female!

These results show how human activity
Can have a major influence on the evolution of other life forms.

II. Human-caused Evolutionary Changes - Aggressive African Bees/Gentle European Bees opus 139

The African honeybee has been selected for aggressiveness
Because of intense predation, including by humans,
Who, in spite of many stings, desire the sweet honey
And would merely plunder a hive, thus selecting for ever-more aggressive bees.
This bee was never domesticated by humans.
Wild hives and managed hives are the same bee, populations shifting back and forth.
Also it is thought that the African honeybee race is so aggressive
Because it evolved in an arid environment, sources of nectar and pollen being scarce.
Natural selection thus favored aggressive colonies which protected their food source
And their hives from predators and robber bees from other colonies.

Bee keeping is the art of caring for and managing colonies.
This is what occurred with the European honeybee--over centuries--
Continually selecting for gentler and gentler queens.
The whole colony was then basically selected for gentleness.
Thus there are more than 20 honeybee races in Europe, America, and Asia,
But only two are found in South Africa.
Beekeeping with the African honeybee does occur with some people,
Especially European transplants.
But, as I can attest, heavy clothing and patience are necessities,
And the result from this very productive producer is rewarding.

My Dear Friend Bob. An Ode to Robert Duca opus 140

My dear friend Bob, I got to know
By fishing a pamphlet out of a Post Office trash bin.
He was a developer, advertising his wares--but he was an enlightened Democrat.
He built hundreds of houses--but he was a Humanist.
He carefully cleared lands for communities--but he was a Liberal.
He gently competed with Nature--but he cared for Sage-grouse.

Bob has a beautiful complex personality
And he is able to communicate with almost anyone
To get his points or thoughts across to reach his ends.
Bob has helped me to save thousands of acres for wildlife,
Shifting 'developing' properties elsewhere, in order to leave open space.

People ask, 'You work with a DEVELOPER?'
YES. He is balanced and enlightened and I would trade him for no one!

Thank you, Bob.

A Chat with my Ophthalmologist, Car'mine opus 141

I am turning 82 next month, with a pending driver test renewal!
The written test, I may master with some practice and brain work,
But my eyes are basically immutable--not easily 'fixed'.
One eye is perfect for distance, the other for reading.
I asked how I might pass with one 'bad eye'.
I am so worried I may fail and be permanently banished from the roads.
Car'mine said, 'Please, you have a goldmine.
There are many who drive with only one good eye!'
I was stunned and my depressed thoughts were suddenly elevated.
'What you have just uttered has unleashed me to euphoria!'

My senior worries are much lessened
And I have now a chance to remain
As a functioning member of society with transportation.
A while longer! I am so grateful for your words.

Thank you.

Birds Coping with the New Heat opus 142

Heat is becoming unbearable for humans inhabiting many parts of the world,
But have we also been considering the plight of our bird populations?
Temperatures are high enough that the normal methods birds
Cope with elevated temperatures are reaching their biological limits.
Gular fluttering--mouth open and 'fluttering' neck muscles
Pumps air in and out of the throat and is used by many birds to cool down,
But this function also causes water loss.
Small birds like Goldfinches just do not have the body mass to cope.
Other species, such as the Curve-billed Thrasher are bound to a desert habitat,
Where temperatures are becoming extremely high--
The Mojave Desert is now reaching 130 degrees Fahrenheit.
Bill size has been found to correlate with temperature--
Large bill, higher temps, so that blood flow will dissipate temperatures.
Opening out wings while standing alleviates heat build up.
A bird's normal temperature of about 106 degrees F, has been recorded at 111 F.
Tree swallows have been recorded laying their eggs 9 days earlier than normal.
Warblers, especially, have shifted their home ranges northward.
Migration of many bird species are also changing with the heat increases.

For a biologist, becoming more aware of all these changing factors,
The burden of shifting life processes is sometimes overwhelming.

Flying VI. Flying Others opus 143

Having now learned to be a pretty good, confident pilot,
(There are Old Pilots and Bold Pilots, but no Old, Bold Pilots),
I decided to figure out a plan to fly others
With the club planes to help pay for my hours.
Cornell had a 'ride box', where hopeful travellers
Could state on 4 X 4 cards, when and where they 'needed' to go.
When I had a little free time from my demanding graduate studies,
I went to the ride box and sorted through those going to the same destination.
One, I remember, was a big dance at the U of NH.
I wrote down several names and telephone numbers--
The goal was at least three students going to the same place.
With the list, all collected and organized, I went back to my apartment to call.
'I am flying to the U of NH on your date ('by chance'!).
Would you like to fly and share gas, only needing two hours for the flight,
Instead of the 12 hours to make the trip by bus?'
(I could fly NE over the mountains from Cornell, Ithaca, NY, to Amherst, NH,
Avoiding the 12 hour bus voyage E to Boston, a layover, then N to NH.)
All responses were always wow, yes--more time to socialize at the big dance!
Off we would go from the Ithaca Airport, over the Alleghenies, landing in NH.
We then made a time for the return flight to get back home.

Everyone was happy for the time saved, and I paid nothing, by sharing, for my hours!
See, 'socialism' does work, especially with no ulterior motives!

Flying VII. A Trip to Fort Collins, Colorado opus 144

Landing in Fort Collins, we each went our own way, Agreeing on the return time to the airport, for our return flight. The conference for the American Society of Mammalogists, Was a wonder for me, with so many professionals of the same ilk. I was even approached by a very nice older gay mammalogist whom I gently deferred! The return flight was lovely and uneventful.

An Afterthought: Our flight to Fort Collins occurred in the late 1960's with the rest of life filling in between. About October 2020, I received an email from a Murray Colbo, Asking if I was the 'Frank' who flew him to Fort Collins for a conference! I said yes, and he identified himself and how well he remembered our trip. He has spent his career studying various freshwater environments and their aquatic invertebrates.

He related that in all his study grants he always requested a helicopter and pilot To enable him to collect specimens in very out of the way aquatic habitats. He emphasized how important the helicopters with good pilots were for his research. On one grant, he explained, the pilot assigned to his research Frankly frightened him with his flying style--not great confidence! He related that he would not continue with that research project, Unless he got a more skillful pilot. One was granted and he went on with his work.

After a pause, I timidly asked how he rated my flying during our flight. He unhesitantly replied, 'Oh you were skillful and competent! Can you imagine how a warm feeling developed in my chest? It was such a joy to hear his evaluation for a skill I had worked so hard to achieve. This is what makes the blow of growing older, a softer landing for the End!

Mary Stoots. A Serendipitous Friend opus 145

She is in a wheelchair, but she exudes confidence, ability,
And the possibility that she might levitate at any moment.
I met her in Reynoldsburg, Ohio, at the Historical Society,
When I donated the Ohio Tartan Stone to be housed in their facility.
We went to a lunch at a local tasty-menued establishment,
The beginning of our verbal interactions about many local subjects.
Mary has a wry sense of humor, flavored with wisdom,
And an understanding of the situation.
Compiling Newsletters, outreach, hosting,
And organizing history field trips,
She is confident and authoritative-sounding
With her no-nonsense voice.
When I feel a need to be in Mary's aura of strength,
I dial Ohio and enjoy a flowing conversation
To share my joy and outlook on life.

A Checklist for Energy Use in Our New Age opus 146

Our climate, because of our past negligence of the many warnings from decades ago,
That our waste will cause temperature increases in both the atmosphere and our oceans,
We are now 'paying' for it with a new unfolding world.
Because we are a travelling population, I use trips as a recipe to make decisions :

1. I have a trip unfolding before me.
2. I must first evaluate its importance and the needed results.
3. Do I really need to go on this trip at all?
4. Are there closer alternative destinations which will fulfill the trip's goals.
5. If going, can I 'double up' on travel modes (ie. 'carpooling').
6. Do I have an alternative--a less polluting mode of transport, even if less convenient.
7. Have I evaluated my possible mode of transport: air, train, bus, car, bicycle, walking.
8. With all this--watch out for rationalizations!

We must now all realize how fast our climate is changing and to finally realize
That one person does make a difference ('one vote makes a difference').
The frog in the pot of water feels nothing even as the temperature rises
Until it is too late. (Yum, delicious cooked frog meat.)
All this will take discipline and forgetting the way we used to live.
We are slowly frying to a point where we will all be nomads (towards the poles)
In this new century. (See Nomad Century by Gaia Vince, 2022.)

Also consider: EV or hybrid plugin, photovoltaic panels, wall battery,
solar box cooker, Hold back on the AC and use a fan, sundry clothes,
paint surfaces white, landscape with xeric plants, House upgrades,
plant shade trees, etc., etc.

Evolution Doesn't Exist! (Dogs must have come from an Omniscient Puff!) opus 147

The origin of dogs was, until recently, not perfectly understood.
Now it is basic knowledge that dogs, with human selection,
Evolved from Eurasian and Asian Gray wolves.
But the history of Native American dogs has a more complex saga.
Dogs probably entered North America from Siberia 4500 years after humans did,
And were isolated for the next 9000 years.
After contact with Europeans, these dogs no longer existed,
Because they were replaced by Eurasian dogs.
The pre-contact dogs showed a unique genetic signature, now gone.
The DNA indicated that their nearest genetic relatives today
Are the Arctic breed dogs such as Malamutes, Greenland dogs,
And Alaskan and Siberian Huskies.

The replacement by Eurasian dogs may have been caused by
Diseases introduced by Europeans, or persecution of native dogs by European colonists.
Also European dogs could have been favored, possibly because of better training.
So, the domestication of American wolves did not really occur,
But rather domesticated dogs came over with the First Peoples from Siberia.
These dogs existed in North America for about 5000 years
And remained until 15th century settlers arrived with their dogs.
The Siberian Huskies and other similar breeds likely came over about 1000 years ago--
Roughly 500 years before European settlers arrived.

When I was in graduate school at Cornell University,
No one was ever really sure just what the origin of our dogs was today.
Wolves, coyotes, foxes, dingoes--just what?
DNA studies have been so helpful with so many knowledge bases
And I am thankful I have lived to be able to see these results!

Can Slavery Really be Justified? opus 148

There were 'original' arguments to justify slavery by quoting the bible.
Then, finally, with Martin Luther King, most realized the horrors of slavery.
Now at the beginning of the 21st century,
Southern politicians (from Florida, for one) are audaciously blurting out
That slavery was good for a slave--
'Became civilized, had shelter, learned skills, could read. . . . '
Really? Are we starting all over again?

Wonderful Tony opus 149

Tony Bennett, died at 96 just yesterday.
His voice rendered a gentle, slow, soft vibrato.
He had his highs and lows in life--drugs in the 70's;
Some albums made in that decade did not go over well, until later.
'Sometimes the world needs to catch up with what you are doing.'
And then a tenacious comeback in the 80's and on.
He recognized and worked on solving hunger with many he saw.
His later musical collaborations with others such as Lady Gaga,
Endeared him ever more to his greater audience.
He exuded joy and voiced a very strong love for just being alive.
'Money does not bring happiness, but a stability to be happy
And to have the time and the ability to bring joy to others.'

As I age, Tony, I feel what you say--
My joy in my sons, my new little grandson, Rowan, all my friends,
And all the creatures I share my abode with--
My lamb, my steer, my emu, my tortoises, and, yes, my responsive Betta fish!

Happy Birthday (23 July) to Eric, 20 Year Old Son of Jessie and Ana Soto opus 150

Enclosed in this little bag are some turkey feathers,
Exhibiting their wonderful iridescence.
As you move them back and forth in the sun, to enhance their colors,
Remember to always be aware of those very small
And seemingly insignificant 'things' in life,
And thus, they will truly, completely fulfill
The depth and meaning of all your life.

What is Sacred? opus 151

Some will not eat fish with no scales.
But catfish is advertised as a near perfect meat source.

Some will not eat sacred cows.
But beef is a main protein source for the world (unfortunately?).

Some will not eat the pork of pigs.
But the special white meat is the 'beef alternative'!

Some will not eat horse flesh--thanks to a Papal decree by Pope Gregory III
in 732. (Leviticus also rules out eating horse meat.)
But the French and much of the rest of the world savour this flesh.

(USA - horses are still slaughtered for food, but on Mexican and Canadian soil!)

The flesh of dogs (and cats) are desired in many parts
And thousands of both are 'needlessly' euthanized in a starving world.

But what about the possible 'saviour' for our future protein source?
Is insect protein kosher? inedible? gross? unmentionable cuisine?

Might we reject a food source which may tip things towards a reasonable balance?

The human brain owes its increased size, most likely to the discovery of termite 'flesh'.
Why does the West reject the very thing that gave them their 'brains'?

Is all this just a human comical farce?
Why all the rules to demonstrate allegiance and membership?
Could there be a Humanistic approach to a rational life?
Caring for all life, but we must still eat--and what?

Caring for all life--the definition of Humanism (but there is no meddling god!).

Emmett Till opus 152

Emmett Till was born a black child on 25 July 1941.
Next month I will, from 25 August 1941, be 82.
Listening to a program about Till, it struck me hard,
That he and I were companions in time--
He, an exact month older than I.
But he lasted only, through terrible tragedy, to the age of 14.
I, at 14, was in junior high school, absorbing a Shakespeare play,
Never being moved to whistle at a woman (if that ever occurred),
But I certainly thought women were something special.

Emmett took a trip from Chicago to visit family in the South.
I took a Mohawk Airlines flight from Boston
To my grandparents' farm in Watkins Glen, NY.
But how each voyage ended was--well, black and white.
I am so sad my divided country treated him with such violence.
I was fortunate that chromosomes
Assorted themselves as they did to create me.
But my trial--though I lived through it all,
Was my ostracism when I opposed the Vietnam war--
Uncles and aunts wanted nothing to do with me as an 'unpatriot'.

Much culminated for Emmett and me when I taught for three years in Africa
To see the source-land of all Homo sapiens,
And walk in the dust of Oldovai with the Leakeys.
The plunder of Africans for basically free labor--
1609 became as important for me as 1066.
My aura drifts into that open casket with Emmett's mangled body.
The Holocaust and the Scottish Clearances and 1609. ...
Somehow all of us have shared that casket with Emmett.

Ahmen.

To be as Smart as a Corvid! opus 153

The use of anthropogenic objects in nest building
Might have first been reported in 1933--a crow used barbed wire for its nest.
Since then screws, nails, bolts, wire, even syringes
Have been incorporated into nest building.
Not to be outdone, some avian engineers have used
Windshield wipers, sunglasses, knitting needles, and fireworks.
Perhaps the most bizzare and ironic is the use of anti-nesting spikes--
Originally meant to deter nesting in a building's eves.
The nests of a carrion crow and a Eurasian magpie--both corvids--
Were collected and examined by researchers in Belgium, Scotland, and the Netherlands.
One, Antwerp, Belgian magpie nest contained about 1500 metal spikes,
Gathered from 20 yards of anti-bird pins!

Originally thorny material was used to prevent predation on eggs and young,
But today, there may be more human made stuff lying around,
Than the 'old fashioned' formally desired natural biomass.
Such use demonstrates a modification of a pre-existing natural behavior
And the flexibility of material use in nest-building!

Oh, well, it might be enviable to be as clever and adaptive as a magpie!

Jessie Soto opus 154

Jessie came into my life from a 'Neighbors' ad,
Written by Paul to give me a boost to find some help.
I have worked with many on my farm--mostly students,
But Jessie, a 54 year old Postal Worker,
Looking for extra employment,
Came, saying he wanted work
And had some pastoral (as well as postal!) experience.
Well, 'Let's give it a try and see where we go'.

Is it possible that one could have found such a treasure?
He arrives early, works seamlessly, and leaves with a smile.
Will my bubble burst? Is he really as genuine
As I have always tried to be my entire life?
Jessie, I am pleased and will endeavour to keep this dream going.

Sartorial Thoughts opus 155

Why is it that men on TV usually have a tie and jacket,
Or at least an open collared shirt with no tie?
And their female counterparts often wear a low cut blouse,
Showing upper chest and often a touch of cleavage?
Who is running this show that women expose themselves so?
Are women told to dress like this or do they really wish just to flaunt?

On the other hand, we have our Muslim cousins--
Women are tented and covered--perhaps even only eyes showing.
Indigenous women still often unabashedly, are covered from the waist down.
So who runs this female fashion show?
Who is really wanting women to show off their mammalian morphology--
Women desiring men or men desiring women?
Or, for some, it may just not matter at all!

Note:
    Western women, travelling in places like Turkey
    And dress as they are used to,
    Are mobbed by sexually starved men.
    I have lived there--I have seen it!

'Doubting' Thomas opus 156

We all (well many of us) know the story about Thomas, the disciple;
Jesus returned to their midst and they were aghast and subsequently believed!
Well, except for one--Thomas who asked to touch the wound.
Religious folks label this action as one of doubting,
But another mind might retort that it was just an act of empiricism!
Was this the first recorded example of scientific empiricism vs religious belief?
Perhaps we might realize a world where both are equally acceptable,
Each within its own limits.

Voice Changes opus 157

The voice depends mostly on the tautness and length of the vocal cords
And how tightly they contract as the air from the lungs hits them.
The voice of a child is high because the larynx is small,
The vocal cords being short, thin, and tight.
At birth the vocal cords (or folds) of both boys and girls measure about 2 millimeters long.
Those of girls grow 0.4 mm per year, while those of boys grow 0.7 mm.
Finally, girls' vocal folds reach 10 mm, while boys' are 16 mm,
Producing the lower or deeper voice of males.
With puberty, the larynx grows, the vocal cords lengthen and thicken,
Thus causing the voice of both males and females to deepen.
The further 'culprit' in boys is the additional flush of testosterone.
The female voice remains relatively higher, as explained, because of shorter cords.

As adults age, vocal cords become thinner,
The cartilage of the larynx becomes harder and less flexible,
Causing the alteration of the voice.
Thus the pitch of the voice changes with age:
Often rendering it to be higher in older men and lower in older women.
Additionally, the musculature of an elder's larynx
May weaken or cause a quavering quality called vocal tremors.
The voice may be further changed with a stooped posture
Or the lessening of lung capacity,
Thus reducing the air flow through the larynx, furthering voice alteration.

This is why older men with a remaining rich, robust voice,
Often cause remarks from others as to how young they sound!
Radio material.

Baby Bones opus 158

Newborn babies reportedly have 300 'bones',
Compared to an adult human, having only 206!
Really? (The secret is the 300 'bones' vs. 206 bones.)
To get through the birth canal,
The baby must be like the satellite in space,
Unfolding piece by piece to manifest the final morphology!
The so-called baby bones are actually pieces of cartilage,
Which, with maturity, will fuse into the final 206.

An example is the bregma, consisting of many soft spots
On the skull called fontanelles,
Most of which fuse by 2 to 3 months,
The last largest one fuses by about 18 months.
Just imagine--the final ossification process
In the human body occurs in the mid-20s!
And just think--a child can vote, learn to kill in the military,
Or drink itself to death before the 'final ossification'!

Two Invaders, Meeting opus 159

I walked out back, behind the house, where I feed my steer and emu,
Going slowly through the motions in the shade of the trees--it is 100 degrees F today.
Two large wild, 'invading' male turkeys were nearby.
I do not harass them here and we co-exist, quietly together.
(They were transplanted to California from the East,
Where T. Jefferson and B. Franklin argued over which bird
Should be the National Symbol.)
I fed grain to the emu and cow as tidbits to their daily grazing,
And I had an urge to pass on some feed to the nearby turkeys.
I called out quietly and threw the food in their direction.
One responded and slowly walked over to the suddenly produced cornucopia.
I chatted quietly and urged him (it was indeed a great 'bearded' him),
To continue eating in my presence without fear.
The other male partner was most reluctant and continued grazing its farther grass.
(Later, after I departed, the reluctant one too, joined its brother
To peck away at the remaining grain.)

This all reminded me of the beginnings of the dog--
Probably children near middens piles encouraged those wolf pups,
Brave enough to remain near these little human creatures,
To be rewarded with special tidbits from an outreached hand,
And slowly joined the ranks of that bipedal creature who was to soon dominate the planet,

They, the wolf-becoming-dog, being now in the ranks of the other invading myriads!

The Whistled 'S' opus 160

On the Canary Islands, people often communicate by whistling long distances in Silbo.
That kind of whistling, I was not thinking about, but rather a 'whistled S' with normal speech.
I have noticed, especially on NPR that a larger number of women announcers,
Than their male counterparts, have incessant, annoying 'whistling S's'.
Why is this annoying habit occurring mostly, as I perceive, on NPR?
Does NPR not vet its speakers more stringently than other media?
The radio's the medium of the voice and the voice should be one of its primary criteria.

Google says it is the shape of the mouth and placement of the tongue when creating the sound.
The actual whistle is from the air passing through the teeth in a certain way,
Causing a slight vibration which produces that sound.
One can get a shrill whistle when the teeth come too close together, or not close enough.
Dentures can add bulk to the palate, which produce this speech impediment.
The screeching 'S' can also occur with veneers, too thick or too long on the central incisors.
Those who become their own self-proclaimed cosmetic dentists,
Tend to concentrate on issues of aesthetics and ignore chewing, swallowing, and speaking.
It is the inner side of the teeth that is critical.
The prevalence of the whistling 'S', even occurring naturally, is unclear.
That which affects front teeth could be modified to make any change of significance,
Sometimes within a few hundredths of an inch.
There are many whistling 'Sers' who are dismayed with this condition--
And once one senses it, it is difficult to listen to.

The Whistled 'S'; An Addendum opus 161

The researcher, Zimman, discovered that no matter what the pitch,
A voice could be perceived as male, if the 's' sound were emitted in a lower frequency;
Such a sound is produced when the tongue is positioned farther away from the teeth.
The voice, whether masculine or feminine, is not just biologically determined,
But also is socially driven!
A deeper resonance, sounds as if emanating from the chest and not the head--
Actually the resonance is lower for people with the larynx deeper in their throats!
The positioning of the larynx is manipulated when young:
With male children, from use, the larynx is actually pulled down a bit,
While female children push the larynx up!
So, as a result of mimicking and social pressure,
The voice is partly manipulated into 'conformity' of that society!

Flying VIII. The Professor's Flight opus 162

As stated in my Flying VI and VII, I ferried people
Around for their convenience and my needed hours.
As time passed, ever nearer towards my Ph.D.
In Vertebrate Zoology and Ecology,
The word worked its way upward to professors,
Who needed to reach an out-of-the-way destination.
One afternoon, I received a call from a professor,
Needing to go to Pokeepsie, N.Y.
(I had landed there as an 8th grade student,
Flying with my father on a similar trip years ago.)
The day and time were arranged and we took off.
The weather was just fine, but as we progressed,
The cloud cover built up--the layered, stratus clouds were the type.
When my instruments indicated that we were over our destination,
I started looking for a hole--
One soon appeared and I needed to manage, because I was on VFR*,
To corkscrew down to get through the opening of the white layer.
I had never done such a thing, exactly,
But having had some experience with such maneuvers,
We made it through, got our terrestrial bearings,
And made a nice three-point landing at the little airport!

While the professor went for his meeting,
I stayed with the Cessna and studied for my next class.
After a time, he returned and up we went.
But now the stratus layer had dispersed,
So there was no more needed circling upward--
Just a nice evening flight home to the Ithaca Airport,
'High above Cayuga's waters'.

* Note: VFR is 'visual flight rules', using no instruments
        (a whole other story).

Temporal 'Fight or Flight' opus 163

There is a critical physical distance
At which a creature 'fights' or takes 'flight'.
Temporally, there is an equivalent 'time distance',
Where one party wants sooner discourse ('fight'),
And another wants much more temporal space between discourses ('flight').
Sooner or later interaction is equally painful, respectively.
The trick is to work out a temporal compromise
So that the 'sum of the pain' is the least possible.
If the two parties are not able to understand this principle,
Then unnecessary agony shall simply remain ceaseless.

Lengua opus 164

You surprised me with lengua instead of Sweet and Sour shrimp.
You do know my gourmand culinary choices.

But you did surprise me,
Which, either way, would have won my heart!

One of the two cuisines would have melted on my tongue.

Thank you.  Frank.

The Menstruating Man opus 165

An incision was made in my rear
To reach a gut emergency, resulting from aging!
After two colostomies and the passing of much time,
I have survived! Actually am alive!

The remnants of that mad escapade
Is an unhealed fissure, oozing fluid--
Sometimes with blood and sometimes clear.
After deciding it was best to let it ooze
And not, at my age of 81, to operate once again,
I have a pad with a careful change when needed.

I now see what my human female counterparts endure,
The only female primate who bleeds when not potentially pregnant.
I just bleed or ooze whenever, with never a pregnancy in sight!
But finally, as a feminist, I must now consciously endure
My perennial menstruation and be reminded
That all mammals are basically, genetically female!
(Don't forget those two X's!)

Banning Shakespeare? opus 166

Besides Banobos, Humans are the most sexually oriented primate on the planet.
Is it any wonder that our plays, films, novels, or poetry reflect this?
We have a presidential candidate, also governor of Florida,
Who, as governor, is now actually banning the high school study
Of the complete works of William Shakespeare!
A student will encounter a watered-down presentation of a play,
Cleansed of anything that is 'racy or sexual'.
(A reading of the complete works must be accomplished by the student hermself*.)
This is to 'protect students, from anything untoward'.
These are students, who, if following high school 21st century behavior,
Are kissing, flirting, tempting, petting, masturbating, pleasing each other orally,
Or, heaven forbid, actually indulging in copulation!
This is not to mention all the 'dirty' novels and ubiquitous pornography.

Who is protecting whom from what?
By watering down or banning something from a young human,
It guarantees that, without wise instruction, complete works will be incompetently read!

* Non-sexist pronoun; Prof. Lenora Timm, 1966.

The Inside Windchime opus 167

When I discovered the magic and joy of windchimes,
I collected several: a deep booming one from Germany,
A triangular one with three tones, the steel of which came from old Maine ships.
And, of course, the one with the vibrating, organ-like long pipes.
For several years I loved my chimes out by my window.

Then, somehow, a lovely brass set arrived in the mail.
And I decided to hang it inside by my kitchen entrance.
As I walked by, I would stroke the pipes and elicit lovely, brief harmony.
Then summer hit with 100 degrees F temperatures.
I purchased a large floor fan, serendipitously aimed toward my chimes.
Guess what? I have 'artificial wind' aimed at my chimes,
Resulting in a constant chiming inside my home!
I recommend such a set-up to anyone to accomplish
The cooling of the house as well as the music of the muses!
Such joy prevails from a basic necessity, melding into a sweet concert.

(This summer, so far, I have used my AC twice, carefully situated in the house.)

'Iqra' or 'Read' opus 168

Iqra is the name given to a new girl-child, American citizen.
Her Afghani parents escaped the Taliban, experiencing a perilous flight.
They finally were humanely allowed to enter the US
Because their 3 year old daughter was terribly ill.
The 6-month-old, new sibling sister, was named 'Iqra' or 'Read'.
Iqra's father said he named her in defiance of the Taliban regime,
Which, as we well know, is opposed to educating girls.
Half of that country's population hides in languish,
Because of the misinterpretation of Islam!

The fate of so many human groups throughout history,
Have resulted, for good or for evil,
From the 'well meaning interpretation' of some 'chosen high priest'.

Blacks and Country Music opus 169

I have heard several stories about Black singers getting into today's Country music.
(Remember Elvis and how he got into originally Black Rock and Roll.)
It seems to be more difficult for Blacks, being a minority, to 'quietly' be Country today.
Those Blacks who have done so and spoken out,
Tell of the hardships and negativity towards them,
For venturing into a genre which, on its facade, should be white.
(To go back again, remember that there were in real life--not movies--
Many Black cowboys.)

Humans are all the same species--Homo sapiens--with superficial variations.
All humans are imitators--from childhood, we take on behaviors of all sorts:
Our voices, our language, our behaviourisms, even our hand movements!
But humans are also gregarious joiners.
We must-- at least most of us--must be in some sort of group,
Which gives us identity to be part, with others, of some identifying category.
(Consider religion, politics, sports, caste, musical genres,
Racism, gender, educational level, profession, etc.)
This is just normal human, primate behavior.

Humans exhibiting differing polymorphisms, when entering a 'fixed stereotype' group,
Can ruffle feathers and cause anxiety and the blood pressure to rise:
Consider skin color, eye shape, various behaviors, accents, or hair morphology.
'They just don't belong here; they don't 'fit in' '
What is to be remembered is that we are basically all one species
With a few polymorphisms sprinkled in!

The Veterinarian's 'Hippocratic Oath' opus 170

I had a brother-in-law who, urged by his mother, became a veterinarian.
The rest of his sibs, as well as his father and mother
Were in the human medical field.
After a time, he concluded that because he was able
To decide which animal would live or die,
He was personally obliged to forsake animal medicine and shift to humans.

I pondered this decision for many years and decided to investigate
The so-called Hippocratic Oath vs the Veterinarian's Oath.
Such a profound difference, dealing with a dog or cat or cow vs a human!
I invite you to research the two oaths,
But I would like to point out some variations of each.

For vets: 'I solemnly swear to use my scientific knowledge and skills
For the benefit of society through the protection of animal health and welfare, etc'.
'I will practice my profession conscientiously, with dignity, and in keeping
With the principles of veterinary medical ethics.' Etc.
Veterinarians fulfill different roles: dealing with pets, dealing with herds for food,
And dealing with animals that are part of terminal scientific research.
The responsibility to prevent and relieve suffering
Can look significantly different in these varying situations.
Did you know there was a variation of the USA oath used in Canada?

So now for the Hippocratic Oath, the original of which has been modernized.
There have been many modernizations--including a change for 'I will not use the knife...'
No surgery in the early period around AD 275!
Did Hippocrates actually write that first document? Several scholars question that.
Many variations obtained and several 'original' authors have been cited.
In Nazi Germany, medical students did not take the oath,
Although they knew the ethic of 'nil nocere'--do no harm.
In the 1960's the Hippocratic Oath was changed to require
'Utmost respect for human life from the beginning', making it more secular,
Not in the presence of any gods, but before only other people.
'I will remember that I remain a member of society,
With special obligations to all my fellow human beings,
Those sound of mind and body as well as the infirm.'

For veterinarians, their oath is to take care of animals,
But the serious 'human obligation' is obviously missing.
The many variations of the Hippocratic Oath dealing with humans,
Necessarily, are 'our-species-focused obligations and duties'.

I guess, as my brother-in-law did many years ago,
One has to consider the absolute obligations towards creature-animal vs human-animal.
How 'pure' is the decision that one must make towards the life of another?

Our Mother Seas opus 171

CO2 has been spewed into our atmosphere.
Our oceans have benevolently attempted absorption.
By doing so, the great water masses are warming,
But more, the acid levels are ever-rising,
Atmospheric CO2 has been buffered--so far,
However, increasing ocean acid is committing the slow death
Of many of its shelled inhabitants,
With mass movements of its piscine denizens,
Causing starvation of dependent higher trophic levels.

To Meal Creators! opus 172

A friend called me one evening to wish me a Happy Birthday.
Within the conversation, she queried, 'Have you had supper yet?'.
I told her of my nibbles on a lingering, but good cheese,
Finishing up a can of cold New England Clam Chowder,
And a corn cob, rescued from the animal food I collect from a local grocery store.
(The corn cob was perfectly fine, just discarded because of appearance alone.)
Concluding the call, I thought of my past-- continual evening joy,
While married to my dear Nora, who loved to cook,
And who presented a coordinated, balanced and appetizing meal each evening.

How fortunate are those, coupled with a devoted, loving creator of meals!

The Joy in Shape opus 173

Just contemplate the varied and beautiful morphology of African horned creatures :
The shapes and gracious curves of those protuberances
Make one wonder just what was the creator--
Imagination elicits the gods, until the rational mind
Draws in selection, relatedness, and the challenging chance of survival.

Two Declarations for Freedom opus 174

As most of us are aware, T. Jefferson was the main author of the Declaration of Independence.
But from where did he ferret out his material?
He used several old documents, including the Magna Carta
and the Scottish Declaration of Arbroath of 1320.
The latter was an attempt by the Scots to demonstrate to Pope John XXII of France
That Scotland was a 'pedigreed' nation, wishing to be free of the English yoke.
(B. Franklin gently chided Jefferson as to, 'Why he used so many old documents?'.
Jefferson replied, 'Well they worked, didn't they?'.)

One can peruse the two documents, side by side, and compare a logical sequence.
There is a point of conflict and need for protection in both:
'He (George III of Britain) has excited domestic Insurrections amongst us,
And has endeavoured to bring on the Inhabitants of our Frontiers,
The merciless Indian Savages, whose known Rule of Warfare,
Is an undistinguished Destruction, of all Ages, Sexes and Conditions.'

A bit more distant, but still with the same sort of conflict in mind,
The Scots are bargaining with the Pope for recognition,
By volunteering for a next Crusade against the Muslims (ie., the heathens).
Both documents declare the need for quelling heathens or savages for various reasons :
'This truly concerns you, Holy Father, since you see the savagery of the heathen raging
Against the Christians,. . . and the frontiers of Christendom being pressed inward every day.'

In today's world one sees anti-Muslim retoric in the one, and anti-Native American in the other.
Today, both statements are 'uncomfortable' in a world attempting tolerance,
But in the reality of those past times, when things were more 'black and white',
Statements were bold and crisp and 'self-evident'!

(Do remember, though, Roger Williams' friendship with the native people,
And the eventual founding of Rhode Island,
As well as the founding of Pennsylvania with William Penn's attempts to be peaceable and fair;
Leading to the State of Penn--sylvania--'Penn's Woods'!)

Lauretta, PA (A Physician Assistant) opus 175

I am a biologist (joying in observing various morphologies),
Also a stone carver, slowly creating petroglyphs with a mallet and chisel,
As well as a poet of sorts, constantly attempting to verbalize that which I perceive.

When I had my appointment with you to discuss my hip implant,
I could not help but admire the perfection of your ear,
The marvellous expression of your eyes, flashing emotion,
Both, cornered with sun-like rays of tiny lines,
And the expression and caring and sympathy in your voice,
As you expounded to me of possible outcomes to my condition.
Also, never to be forgotten is your black hair,
Very gently fringed with wisps of tiny white,
Manifesting your growing wisdom as you flow towards your zenith of life.

Thank you for such memories of which will linger always in my mind.

Tachymenoides harrisonfordi opus 176

Yet another new species has been discovered--this time a snake in Peru.
So many unknown species still roam our planet.
This snake has been named after Harrison Ford,
A great supporter of environmental issues.
It was 'discovered' in a helicopter-only remote National Park in Peru.
When Edgar Lehr, a US-German biologist, was asked how he felt
About the plight of species diversity by A. Rascoe of NPR,
He answered with the usual 'biologist's reply' of great concern,
But then all abruptly ended with no further interview!
We are becoming complacent as to our biological, future concerns.
I guess that is just what is going to happen--
As long as we humans continue our chaos.
The massive, present Sixth Extinction must be viewed
As our 'canary in the mine'.
The disappearance of our more sensitive fellow creatures,
Is screaming at us that sooner or later, we may be next!
(I conclude it might finally be humans vs cockroaches!)

Australian Singer, Genesis Owusu opus 177

Genesis Owusu has won every musical award in Australia
And is now planning to start performing in the US.
His family emigrated from Ghana, Africa, when he was a child.
He had to learn as a black immigrant just how to fit in.
His second album, following his successful debut, is 'Struggle', featuring 'Roaching'.
In this new musical presentation he sings about the cockroach--
Its ability to survive against 'great odds',
And in passing, poses the question does god value such a creature.
He then compares the stubborn and powerful cockroach to the human struggle--
'Like the cockroach we shall overcome all adversity' {my paraphrasing}.

As a biologist, I extrapolated and generally wondered about the 'survival of things'.
Cockroaches have an incredible ability to reproduce and adapt to available space and food.
Humans are incredibly able to survive by their reproductive 'ability'
(Partly through continuous female receptivity) and with always newly developed technology--
Clothing, agriculture, the domestication of the horse, the wheel, control of fire--
Cooking and producing 'soft food' has even caused the evolution of reduced molars,
Loss of a second stomach (the appendix), loss of the sagittal ridge
(Bone on the skull to accommodate attached extra masticating muscle),
Reduction of canine teeth--all with the help and backup of an opposable thumb!

Remembering that a 'good' parasite does not kill its host,
Again, one extrapolates in one's mind, on the human population as the 'dependant parasite',
And the planet as the 'host'; Will humans adapt to less usurpation of the 'host',
By once again, fostering technology and behavioral adaptation,
Thus preventing us from 'killing our host'?

Water Levels--Rising and Falling! opus 178

It is now self-evident that our seas are rising,
Causing potential crises throughout the world.
Conversely, a critical trade route now faces impending danger,
The watermark of which is facing an ever-diminishing level ;
It is the almost vital drought stricken Panama Canal,
Requiring masses of water each day from its supplementing lake,
To service the perpetually rising and falling lock system.
Smaller ships are now recruited back into service,
As well as the need for the lightening of larger ships,
By transporting less cargo with decreased remuneration per voyage.

The daily 'prayer' with consequent action must be--
Oh, Lord, relieve us of our present fuel system,
To increase the more benevolent sun and wind!

Is Juvenile Play Useful? opus 179

The pandemic has sadly shown us the result, when human children are isolated--
Undeveloped social skills, lesser science and math abilities, and often depression.
But what occurs with social play in juvenile Belding's ground squirrels? *
Those juveniles engaging in more social play,
Had a greater increase in caution when responding to a potential threat,
Demonstrating, as with our human children,
The benefits of 'play' which seems in the squirrels,
To promote refinement along the caution-boldness continuum.

When one investigates, the result helps depict
So much similarity with all us mammals!

* Urocitellus beldingi

Driverless Monsters opus 180

Driverless monsters are invading San Francisco streets.
A waiting passenger takes a deep breath before entering.
Wending towards its destination, the passenger reads some text,
Or with some anxiousness, vicariously 'helps' to control the pathway.

Of course, with any new human creation,
There are those who oppose and counter technological progress.
The weapon used in the SF streets to counter these monsters,
Is the strategic placing of traffic cones
To confuse and disable this new invading humanless robot.

Stay tuned to view the unfolding future of humanless everything!

The Enigma of the Eight-tailed Eagle! opus 181

1878 was the inauguration of the Morgan Silver Dollar.
The Philadelphia Mint started it off with an Eight-tailed reverse eagle.
HORROR! (At least for ornithologists)--
Raptors have only an odd number of tail feathers.
Eight is even! Raptors have one central tail feather,
Thus resulting in the consequential odd number.

So contemplate the Mint's rebuttal action.
Eight was minted, then as Seven, with an interesting caveat--
Leftover Eights were 'recapped' with a new Seven.
The result was four 'Eight tips' protruding out from under the Seven new feathers.
Thus, then, the unintentional creation of yet a new Morgan Error Coin!
1878 P Morgans now and forever shall always have 8, 7/8, and 7 tail feathers.

All these changes, by recognizing ornithologist's credence in their knowledge,
And that although communication was slow,
The world, even with its seeming lethargy, could reach out in detail,
Confusing us all with basic, hardcore, intriguing trivia!

The Florence Nightingale Pledge opus 182

Now that I have investigated some history of the Hippocratic and Veterinarian's Oaths,
It suddenly hit me that, surely, nurses must have an equivalent.
Sure enough, they do--The Florence Nightingale Pledge!
A devoted pioneer nurse, Lystra E. Gretter, wrote (with a committee) a first version in 1893.
She, herself, within a long career revised this in 1935.
The following are these two versions with only the final sentence modified,
To reflect a more public health model in the later 1935 version.
As a biologist, feminist, and historian, I have noticed the 'female requirements'
Incorporated in the Pledge, even though (or perhaps because)
It was written by a woman, still under male shackles.
(The blatant anti feminist points which occur in the Pledge are printed below in upper case.)
The Pledge is sometimes not used because of the stated physician's power over nurses,
And this wording has been removed and replaced by
'Working together' with 'mutual respect and consideration'.
'Myself before God' is also eliminated in more modern pledges.

I solemnly pledge (myself before God) and in the presence of this assembly,
To pass MY LIFE IN PURITY and to practice my profession faithfully.
I WILL ABSTAIN FROM WHATEVER IS DELETERIOUS AND MISCHIEVOUS,
AND WILL NOT TAKE or knowingly administer any harmful drug.
I will do all in my power to maintain and elevate the standard of my profession,
And will hold in confidence all personal matters committed to my keeping,
And all family affairs coming to my knowledge in the practice of my calling.
WITH LOYALTY WILL I ENDEAVOUR TO AID THE PHYSICIAN in HIS work.
{1893--And devote myself to the welfare of those committed to my care.}
{1935--And as a 'missioner of health' I will dedicate myself to devoted service to human welfare.}

Several subsequent modified pledges have been devised to fit with the times.

Humans, as Other Primates, Must Have Leaders, Idols, Stars, Heroes opus 183

It is rare for a human to dispose of its heroes.
Leaders lead us in and out of successful exploits.
Stars are great until they disappoint us with some crime or misdemeanor.
Idols are swooned over until we find out what really occurs behind the scenes.
Heroes are often comic characters until the creator is bored and disposes of them.
Even after a leader commits crimes, many followers will tenaciously adhere.

Beyonce asked that 'Renaissance' tour attendees
Wear silver during the Virgo season for her 42nd birthday.
Many fans say they already have purchased outfits;
Some can't afford such special attire; "We won't! She doesn't own us."
"Swifties have the option to wear what they want."
This is the human problem of needing an idol.
(And there are a few who actually see through it all!)
In the meantime, Beyonce is making millions and laughing all the way to the bank.

Fences Needing Repair opus 184

A friend called and said she was frustrated.
'My horse fences need repair and there is no one here.
All gone hunting!'

So, feeling folksy, I texted back--
'Thanks for the call.
Used to fix fences.
Could help, but too old now.
Don't hunt.
Hunting is a religious ritual for
Many male humans, at least around here.
A substitute for our pioneer 'John Wayne'.
Senseless in these days with
So many available cows for meat.
See you someday.    Me'.

Flying IX. Landing a Cessna 150 on the Numbers opus 185

While earning my Ph.D. at Cornell University in Ithaca, New York,
I joined a flying club for an extracurricular activity.
After many hours of flying and learning,
A skill-building activity occurred to me;
Often landing in rural tree-lined runways in the area,
I started practicing 'short landings' at the end of the larger Ithaca Airport.
The large numbers at the end of each runway
Are the basic naming system for a particular runway.
"24" was used for 240 degrees on the compass,
So a pilot could know that the heading around 240 degrees
Was indeed the runway being landed on.

The trick with a small, single engine, two passenger plane
Was to touch down as slowly as possible without stalling (crashing!)
At the very end of the paved runway
And then put on the brakes to successfully control the plane,
Before it passed over the last part of the numbers and stopped!
A bit abrupt and a little hard on the brakes,
But a maneuvering skill which might come in handy someday.
This sort of skill-building with constant thinking
Is what gives flying the excitement all pilots crave.

The Plight of the Hellbender opus 186

The Hellbender is a neotenous* form of the largest US salamander.
Its range covers 15 states, but its numbers are decreasing.
Climate change, pollution, and habitat loss,
Challenge the existence of this fascinating creature,
Which must live in cold, clear flowing water.

Please Mr. Trump, et al, our changing climate is not a farce!

* Retention of juvenile characteristics in the adult form of a species.

The Enigma of the Florida Key Deer opus 187

The diminutive Florida Key Deer lives only on small, low-lying islands.
Because of habitat loss and human population expansion,
The deer were down to a very low population number.
Thanks to the Endangered Species Act legislation,
The population of Key Deer dramatically increased.
But now, with the climate crisis, sea levels are rising--
No legislation will be able to change this trend in time;
The deers' living range will completely disappear under the sea.
The Enigma is such: Are the deer to be moved and allowed
Inbreeding with mainland populations, their genetics lost forever?
Or moved to other isolated environments with no certain results?
Or allowed just to drown and be done with under the rising sea?

Compare the Key Deer's island fate to that of the Pika,
Living in high mountain ranges with no further 'up' to go.
The Enigma reaches so many, many of our fellow earth-inhabitants.
Remember--humans are and will also be continual and vulnerable climate-nomads!

Whaling out Names! opus 188

There are adumbrations of data which suggest whales
Might call out 'codas' by means of identifying each other.
Only three individual Sperm whales have been spied upon,
Listening to their 5R coda placed at the beginning of a call,
But researchers are confident they may be on to something.
The 5R has distinctive timing and seems to be consistent with each individual.
And to think the more we learn of these special animals,
We slaughtered them (and still do!) oblivious of their personalities.
Shame that we were so ignorant of these 'non-human persons'.

The Rewilding of Humanity opus 189

A dear friend, after listening to a book lecture by Jessica Carew Kraft,
Sent me a copy of Kraft's book--'Why We Need to be Wild'.
The friend raved about the talk and thought of me immediately.
Kraft spoke of how humans have become so disconnected from nature,
And how to rewild ourselves back to health.

I do live on a small farm, harvested food gardens, raised fish,
Free raised turkeys and geese, and even worked with the African bee.
I have worked with raptors and the art of falconry which went with that.
And on and on, so I guess it was not a surprise she sent me the book.

Specifically, my thoughts homed down to one day in the Botswana, Kalahari Desert.
I was on a university safari in that wonderful desert.
One day I broke away from the group to wander and observe on my own.
No roads, no overhead planes--only silence accented by inhabitant creature sounds.
Late in the afternoon I came across an abandoned Bushman encampment.
Circled huts (three or four) with a central fire area.
I realized I was in lion territory, so I immediately began to gather fallen firewood
To later be used to burn all night, warding off these magnificent creatures.
Darkness fell and sure enough, the roar of lions commenced.
The marvellous repetition of roar after roar in a series of crescendoed bursts of sound.
The calls alternated back and forth, one to another.

I ate, stripped down and lay down on a grassy mat left by the original builder.
I fell asleep, dreamed, and suddenly awoke, imagining a lion approaching the hut.
The fire had died down and, indeed, I believed a lion to be nearby.
More wood on the fire and moments of thought,
Before returning to a soft state of slumber.

This experience was temporary, but I was truly partaking in time 10,000 years ago.

Flying X. The Flight to Nowhere opus 190

Have you ever headed out, knowingly, to the middle of nowhere?
I had contemplated a flight to Block Island, RI,
A few hours from my departure place of Ithaca, NY,
While a zoology major at Cornell University (1966).

This was dead reckoning from mainland RI,
To Block Island, a small spot of land some 30 to 50 minutes offshore.
I had never done this before; flying over the sea--no land in sight.
Three other grad students eagerly agreed to accompany me on the flight.
All went well across the terrestrial mapped area, until the Atlantic.
I checked my gas, held my breath, and took a heading towards our tiny destination.
With luck and no irregularities, the lovely island came into sight.
We landed, made arrangements for the evening,
And had a gentle and friendly repast, followed by our overnight.
The next morning we took in some sights
And I somewhat nervously checked the weather, which was closing in.
My companions were oblivious to the weather needs for our return,
But I continually checked for a break in our low overcast situation.
The moment came and I suggested we scramble to the plane.
Up we rose into a broken cloud cover with afternoon sun accenting our surroundings.

Up at several thousand feet, I felt relief in our potential accomplishment.
All seemed well until I smelled smoke and my heart basically stopped.
Turning to my passengers, I related my despair,
Until it was discovered that Gloria, one of the passengers,
Had lit up a cigarette!!
My fear was gone, but I sternly instructed that such an act should not be repeated.
At dusk, we arrived home in Ithaca and quietly dispersed.
This was a flight I would never forget--and have not over all these years.

Yet another adventure in my occasional attempts to defy gravity.

The Olive Saga opus 191

Trees, as with all earthly life require water,
Otherwise desiccation is the slow path to demise.
Trees, as with all earthly life require a comfortable mean temperature,
Otherwise desiccation and the 'bodily' functions eventually cease.
With the climate crisis, death from excessive heat is now obtaining.
More and ever more, birds, fish, mammals,
And of course the human mammal
Are migrating--shifting their earthly coordinates--
Desperately seeking out conditions they once enjoyed.

And now to feature yet another organism in this plight:
Our tree of human symbolic peace--the olive.
Humans and olive trees have coevolved for millenia--
Olives receiving greater care and genetic improvement,
And humans harvesting possibly the finest of oils.
But now, with the terrifying change in the climate earthwide,
Even our precious olive tree is severely suffering.
Olive oil production is reduced everywhere--in Spain by 50 percent.
Look around us dear people, and recognize the pending disaster we face.
By taking a weak response, humans with their fossil fuels
Are basically murdering their fellow earthly inhabitants.
My plea as a biologist is to take individual action
And always take the greater democratic action as well,
By voting in leaders who dare to understand and properly move ahead.

The Struggling Polar Bear opus 192

Polar Bears wander in a warming autumn.
No food intake all summer.
Seals in iceless water taunt the white giants.
Males fight with restless anger alone--
No females present to raise their testosterone--
Only tension, no ice from which to hunt,
And a longer hiatus with no food.

As the earth increasingly warms each year,
The bears must seek out cliff nests for eggs.
The Snowshoe Hare is still in a white mode,
Maintaining its lingering white phase,
While traversing on a brown substrate.
Easy to see but far too quick for the bear.
Balancing on cliff edges, seabird eggs
Are a small nutritional substitute.
Our human activities, releasing ever more CO2,
Have a great bear
Balancing on cliffs to ferret out a diminutive bird's egg.

The Darkening Arctic opus 193

With the climate crisis, Arctic trees are migrating 130 feet north per year.
The darker trees absorb more heat than the white snow.
The habitat is warming quickly with the invading, woody marchers.

Now add Reindeer to the Arctic recipe,
With their constant nibbling; the trees are held at bay.
Nibbling may seem trivial, but with enough mastication,
The earth's rising temperature may be ever so slightly, favorably manipulated--
Nature's response of repair, countering the folly of the Naked Ape.

Road Traffic Influence on Bird Wing Length opus 194

How on earth can road traffic influence the process of evolution??
Cliff swallows fly in groups, often along highways
Near bridges under which they nest.
Those birds with slightly longer wings
Are less able to outmaneuver quick moving vehicles,
And are often eliminated from the breeding population.
Those birds with shorter wings
Are able to swerve more quickly, avoiding potential death.

Now, to further reiterate on the fact of wing length:
Albatross with long wings rarely touch ground,
Gliding slowly in one direction,
While hummingbirds possessing short, fast moving wings
Are able to instantly maneuver in all directions.
This, an evolutionary lesson caused by human-created road traffic!
Life morphology is influenced for survival--
Even from a rushing metal gas guzzler!

Turning the Tables on a Mess Together opus 195

Paul: Morning Frank. Sorry to mess you around,
But I need to push our lunch meet
Back to as far as 2 PM.
Does that still work for you?

Frank: How wonderful to have mess with you,
Breaking my fast from last night
At a more civilized hour!

The House opus 196

(1220 Hours)There once was a House with many members.
This House had a leader. The House was divided in thought.
There came a great disagreement.
One side was even divided within itself.

A very necessary government decision had to be made,
But there were not enough votes within that one side;
That side was barely in power in the House.
The leader refused to use votes from the other side.
If he did, his side threatened to replace him.
The leader tried to make decisions using only his side's votes.
Nothing worked because the vote did not reach the necessary majority.
In desperation, the leader attempted to include the other side.

(1810 Hours) News Flash! The leader saw the light
And successfully included the other side in a vote--
Perhaps to his own detriment,
Gaining 45 days to allay the government shutdown.
There remains some humanity and wisdom in our ever-dividing society!
But now the question. Must this all be repeated soon again?

{The answer now is yes because the leader
Was instantly voted out--seemingly betraying his comrades.
The split and great gulf is now more hopeless than ever.}

Alive! opus 197

Have you ever just stopped, looked around, took a breath,
And felt a rush of joy to know you are indeed alive?
As humans, we are seemingly the only animal
Which can contemplate our own death;
We are able to remember the past and ponder the future.

Further, we are able to joy from the scent in the air,
Which emits a sweet earth-smell, drawn into our nostrils;
We have a rush, while viewing a field of golden poppies;
Our heart pounds, when viewing a herd of stampeding bison.
Recall such experiences and realize how very special it is to be alive!

Darian vs Darien / Any Connections? opus 198

I have always admired the name Darian.
When I meet someone named such,
I often ask if they understand its history or its meaning.
My Scottish ancestry, back to MacAlpin,
One of the first kings of that land (843 AD),
Reminds me of the Scottish attempt at a trading company (1697),
To emulate the English Hudson's Bay Trading Company.
Two attempts were made to establish their company
In Darien, now on the border of Panama and Colombia.
The name was Hispanicized from the Tanela River,
Called such by the Cueva people, an indigenous tribe
Destroyed by the conquistadors during the 16th century.
As a result of the hardships of the area, the unfriendly natives,
And mostly the Spanish, who controlled the area,
The whole experiment failed,
Along with the loss of a third of the Scottish GNP.

Today we hear of the migrants from the southern areas,
Walking north and confronting the Darien Gap,
A 66 mile wilderness swamp and forest,
Through which there is no Pacific Highway,
Only trails and purposely left open as a valuable wildlife sanctuary.
Many travellers have died, attempting to cross this challenging territory.
So, history repeats itself with the Darien area,
Blocking the Scottish attempt at colonization
And now the northern-bound migrants.

But what of the name Darian? Used by the English,
And perhaps first used by the Persians (and Iranians),
Meaning 'Upholder of the Good'--also 'Wealthy' and/or 'Kingly',
Continuing, the present name, Darian, is now seldom used,
And those I question, rarely know its derivation.
But from the early Persian times, to 1697,
To today's migrants traversing the challenging Gap,
It has shown itself throughout history with several manifestations.
Also, one must wonder if there is possibly
A more ancient linguistic connection!

Proper Treatment of the Vanquished opus 199

For centuries--and even millennia--
Humans, being territorial, consistently, as groups,
Would continually steal land areas from others.
The motives would be as a result of coveted space,
Resources, historical motives, greed, or philosophy.

The consequence of a takeover is how the conquerors
Treat the vanquished--are they 'equals'
Or are they 'lesser' in the eyes of the 'masters'.

Across our world there are examples of both results.
The Romans would conquer and then offer property and citizenship
To those who served their new nation;
Opposite examples are myriad and easy to recall throughout history,
Including our US revolution where the colonists had had enough.

When a conquered group is strictly held down
And treated unjustly, with no power to resist peacefully,
The only way to attempt for freedom or equal conditions,
Is to retaliate with violence and aggression.
When such a group does rack seemingly unjust destruction,
One who judges, must always keep in mind,
As to how the rebelling group was treated previously.
For humans, as several other fellow creatures might behave,
There exists a tipping point, beyond which existence is impossible.

As enlightened fellow humans, we who understand,
Must always recognize and work to alleviate
Such situations on our planet, resulting in justice
And an attempt to lessen unnecessary potential pending human disasters.

Eco Distress opus 200

What have we done? / What are we doing?
To our young population in the name of energy?
A new malaise has arisen among our human masses--
Eco distress--climate anxiety--is cluttering those innocent heads.
They feel the guilt, while maturing during their youth,
That nothing significant might be accomplished by them.
They also feel anger that their elders
Have done little--only enjoying their comforts.
As with all mammals, a basic sense of habitat decay eventually creates despair.

The energy corporations have continually denied any wrongdoing--
Reminiscent of the decades of denial by the tobacco peddlers.

The gregarious young converge to 'Climate Cafes',
Attempting through eco therapy, to somehow desperately
Allay their anxiety as to just how
They might survive flooding or basic desiccation,
Manifesting a slow choking, slipping away of their very lives.

A Divided Body? opus 201

Have you ever had a thought
That our bodies are now subdivided into various departments?
We are not one entity, but rather a kaleidoscope of functions:
From podiatry at the foot to ENT at the top.
In between exists cardiology, gastronomy and urology.
As with much of our society, our bodies are medically subdivided.
Of course one argues that specific knowledge is necessary
So that the pundits are able to understand the complexities of each system.

Oh well, it is just a thought as to how,
With deeper and more complex comprehension of anything
There obtains a possibility that the vulgar ceases to understand anything.
Is everything we now know so complex, that the common person
Will just not be 'in the know' about much?
With the human species being obliged to learn so much more,
Are we to 'rest on our laurels' with the ease of possibly even allowing
Augmentation of yet more AI into our future lives?

A Thought opus 202

Arrogance leads to ignorance which manifests
Misunderstandings, mistakes, and ultimately revolt.
This pertains to individual interaction
As well as between nations.

A Thought from the Dalai Lama opus 203

"Do not confuse happiness with cessation of pain."

A Text to an Old HS Fellow Student opus 204

As always. The lopsided, unjust civilian butchery has commenced.
Things might be different, when Israel is reliant less on
The figmentary illusion of military might and much more
On true, hard, tenacious diplomacy towards peaceful coexistence.
If such had been done, history (and the future?) might be different.
This insanity will continue until it is done.
Israelis are permanently leaving their country, having no trust
In their failing, conservative, 'eye for an eye' government.
I long for a continually desired, enlightened era.
I have waited 50 years, as I am 82.
Ahmen. Frank

R3 Food Dye opus 205

Humans create products with good taste and attractive color,
So that the purchase and consumption will be ever-increased.
It is Halloween and one possible danger is the ubiquitous Candy Corn sweet.
It contains the food dye R3 which studies have shown,
Ingestion by, especially children, increases hyperactivity.
Many superfluous items are added to our foods,
Which are mildly or strongly adverse to our health.
As Michael Pollan states in his book,'Omnivore's Dilemma',
'Shop on the outer walls of a grocery store,
To find the purest of healthy, unprocessed foods
For you and your offspring.'
Do not become paranoid, just be ever-vigilant!

The Question opus 206

How many innocent human lives in conflict are worth losing,
To preserve a political ideology, a religious system,
A so-called sacred or holy area on our planet,
A scientific hypothesis or theory, or an accurate understanding
Of human biology?

Perhaps to answer this, one must consider
Who is asking, where it is asked,
And just when, considering all accompanying implications,
A questioner dares to raise such often-sensitive queries.

Chance, My Grandson opus 207

Chance had tremendous challenges in his early life--
He had terrible digestive pain with much of what he ingested.
Diet, under the guidance of his parents,
Was juggled to make food intake less painful.
Chance had a 'different' sort of face,
With a cute, crooked smile (according to his father),
And strove hard to get over his weaknesses.
This boy, with his striving, did indeed, overcome those problems,
And he continually reminded me with his similarity
To Theodore Roosevelt's health struggles.
Chance worked on building up his body
By bike riding, bodybuilding, and coming to our farm to work.
When I offered to pay him for his labors,
He said, "I want no money from you, you are family!"
Chance increasingly became very popular with both his peers and elders.

One evening he borrowed his grandmother's car
And drove to the beach for recreation in the sand.
Something horrible occurred, where speed and three boys
Resulted in a terrible crash--all beyond recognition.

His absence has been a deafening silence--
We miss his airy countenance, always raising up our spirits.

Turkiye, Celebrating 100 Years Today opus 208

Having lived in Turkey (now renamed Turkiye), for several years, teaching biology,
I am aware that today, 29 October, Turkiye will be 100 years old.
Kamil Mustafa Atta Turk carved out his new country,
Following bitter fighting, including the exclusion of the Armenians.
Atta Turk's mindset was always 'black and white'--
One was either a Turk in the new country or not.
He changed the Hijri Arabic calendar, jumping 600 years
To the Gregorian calendar.
He changed the Turkish language, written in Arabic, to Latin lettering.
He changed all surnames, requiring only Turkish names.
He banned the fez, naming a brimmed cap
Which he intended to interfere with the bowing practice of prayer.

Turkiye has undergone many changes over its hundred years,
But Atta Turk is still very present and cared for in his created country.

Just Wondering opus 209

I have always wondered
Why the Latin Roman Mass
Commences with Kyrie Elyison,
Followed by Kriste Elyison--
Both introductory phrases are in Greek!
    Benedictus.  Ahmen.

I have also wondered why our moon
Seems to never rotate,
Always facing the earth.
On this one I finally learned
That the actual rotation of the moon
Is timed to be in sync
With its orbit in the monthly/yearly
Rotation around our earth!

Realizing the horrible waste and destruction
Which war results from human conflict,
Why have humans generally never learned
From wars' actual consequences throughout history?
Think of the many countries once in conflict,
Which, when all was finalized,
Became allies and staunch trading partners!--
A strange, meaningless enigma.

Lastly, in so many social situations,
Where tasty food, social communication,
And live, musical entertainment commingle,
One of these three often unfairly dominates.
I performed jazz in social situations decades previously--
Always attempting to comfortably 'fit in'.
These days, when I rarely attend such social events,
I am mostly overwhelmed by the horrid volume of music.
It appears that musicians care less about a 'good' performance,
But rather value volume as the means to gain praise and attention.
Of course the result is that the masticating, imbibing conversationalists
Can barely hear each other because of the selfish volume producers,
Oblivious in their own self centeredness.
I compare this present sound pollution,
Literally causing (future) hearing problems of all sorts,
Including tinnitus and, in extreme cases, deafness--
Much as smokers selfishly created in years past,
Resulting in asthma, lung cancer, or even death.

Music To My Ears, I. The Early Days opus 210

Since I was tiny, I always had music in my life.
My mother played the old upright piano
During the day at times and later, to put us to sleep.
At five, I started piano lessons with a neighbor teacher.
I advanced some, even recording a duet,
"The Happy Farmer" with my mother.
Mrs. Winkler, married to a Swede who sold knicknack stuff,
As near as I remember, from his car, was my teacher.
She was stiff and formal
And I soon decided at six or seven years to stop.
My mother told me, Winkler had said I would never play music again!
In the meantime, I discovered at six
A big, deep cabinet my father had hand constructed for my mother,
In which were classical 78 record albums--
Tchaikovsky, Mozart, Beethoven, and perhaps Wagner;
Large albums of three to five 78 records--six to ten sides with complete works.
I played them all over and over again.
Once, when I was deep in thought, musically,
My mother came by and said, "Why don't you go out and play?"
Another time she came by and asked, "What are you thinking?"
I seriously answered her, "I am contemplating death."
(I had raised and butchered rabbits from the age of six,
So I knew the 'birds and bees' of rabbits (and humans!)
And how to ready a rabbit for the pot in 20 minutes--
I got faster 'as I aged'!)
At ten years old, I attended dance school with Mrs. Cohn.
I always sat near the trio of men who talked with me--piano, sax, and drums.
In sixth grade at Hyde Elementary School,
They needed an upright double bassist.
I had been given a 'Seashore Test' to check musical prowess and ability--
I may remember it was administered to my whole class.
Well, the music teacher approached me to join the orchestra and play bass.
We had an hour and a half lunch hour between sessions.
Instead of going home for lunch, I practiced by myself
And after one half hour, I walked home, two blocks away,
Lunched and walked back to school.
This continued in Junior High School, when I finally got my own instrument.
It was a big, old, very dark heavy bass,
Which had been, not delicately, reconstructed.

In High School, I went to a private music school for lessons--
My mother drove me and the bass, four miles to the school each week.
My teacher was Mr. Spinney, an older, dark haired,
Very soft spoken man, whom I respected very much
And from whom I learned techniques and fingering.
(He helped prepare me for the school's annual concert--Grieg's piano concerto.)
After about three years he told me I was ready for a more advanced teacher.
He suggested a bassist in the Boston Symphony!
I was about to graduate and leave for Antioch College, Yellow Springs, Ohio,
So I did not follow that advice--who knows what that might have led to!
I left Newton, Massachusetts, and my first wonderful girlfriend,
Seta DerHohanessian, an incredible flautist, whom I loved dearly.
I will always remember my first date, when I drove my parents' car to Seta's home.
We, with others, played the Bach Flute Concerto in B flat.
I was in heaven, with her and being allowed to drive alone--
My wilder, younger brother, John, was not allowed to drive until after 16!
(Seta and I lost track until 30 years later, when we met during my 50th HS Reunion.
She was a year older, so I actually attended two Senior Proms!)

One outstanding memory was when Donald March, HS orchestra director,
Allowed me to conduct the orchestra for some piece, which I remember not;
Yet another moment of being in musical heaven.
I was indeed very content with those early musical years
And, indeed, with almost every day of my youthful process, becoming an adult.

White Boards opus 211

What have we come up with now??
Instead of government controlling extravagant killer guns,
Society, in our Republic, must always attempt defensive methods
To protect our children and their teachers in schools!
Entrepreneurs are now trying to gain 'benevolent' profits,
By producing a teaching white board to be used in schools
Which can be transformed into a bullet-proof shield
So that teachers and pupils might hide themselves,
Waiting for (Texas) reluctant 'peace' officers
To decide just when they might invade a 'dying' classroom,
With THEIR protective shields enabling their safety,
Rather than quickly moving in to restore sanity!

The Tusk opus 212

When I was a young boy in Newton, Massachusetts,
My neighbors on one side were an elderly Armenian couple.
Harry Adalian and his wife, Lucy, spent their early lives in Turkiye.
One of his stories, 
Was how a Turkish soldier had swung his sword
Reaching to his left ear,
And sliced off the edge of his ear--
I did not know then, but he had been a part of the Armenian Genocide.

Harry came often to visit, 'consulting' on various family projects,
Like when we dug our little fish/turtle pond--
A summer project for me and my younger brother, John,
Which we dug in two days!
Harry suggested to my father that it should be named "The Little Sip",
Contrasting to an ocean, "The Big Drink".

At any rate, I was later told that Harry was dying,
And I was asked to come visit to say goodbye.
We talked together--I was precocious and had many adult friends.
Harry then pointed to a long, spiralling tusk in the corner.
He said it was a narwhal tusk, brought back by Admiral Byrd
And had been presented to Mayor Curley of Boston,
Who then passed it on to Harry, a prominent local rug dealer.
Harry then said, "I want to give this to you,
Since you are a budding young naturalist,"

The tusk travelled with me as a prize and loved possession
Around the world from MA to OH to NY to Turkiye to Africa to Sweden,
And then returned to California, where it stayed.
One day on my farm in Davis, California,
I walked by my door, where the tusk always stood
And it was gone--my heart literally sank.
I was then much older--80--and this was to be passed on to my two sons.
I had invited only two or so people to come into my house,
As I had been ill for a while,
So its disappearance was mysterious, but suspicious.
I had not realized how much I had cared for that tusk;
Its beauty, its history with dear Harry, and indeed,
Its very own history, coming from so far away.
I wait for its return--perhaps its new owner will grow tired
And realize it truly belongs to its rightful owner.
I have a few years, perhaps, to wait and anticipate its return.

My Poems and Thoughts opus 213

Why all these poems and thoughts?
When I was recovering in the hospital with a new hip,
My son, Pierre, and others tidied up my house,
So I could move through with my walker.
I learned that he found my early poems,
Written on the backs of scrap paper,
And that when work was done they all read them aloud!
Being encouraged with such interest,
I began writing from masses of thoughts,
Resulting from my very rich life--
They just keep coming and coming.
Now they have a home on my Quail Ridge Land Trust website,
And have even 'graduated' to a website of their own:
(Poems by Frank Maurer).
As one wades through the random subjects,
One might see how my mind, observations, joys, and cares in life
Developed as I travelled in this 'mortal coil'.

Windchimes by my Window opus 214

I loved sailing as a young man--
The invisible power of the wind, moving a vehicle.
I also flew kites as a child.
One was so large it nearly lifted my brother off the ground!
On our frozen lake in the winter,
I sail skated with a gigantic kite held on my shoulder.
Often as I conducted my field work in Wyoming--
I raised two or three kites simultaneously, tied to my van.

With a quieter life on my farm, but still with wind,
I collected windchimes--always lovely, each very different.
I sit outside under the tree which, now large,
Was one of my mother's living Christmas trees,
Enjoying the chorus of chimes as I read and pen my thoughts.
Also, as I am doing right now, I awake very early to write,
Listening to my family of chimes outside my window--
Remembering all of my life's encounters with the wind.

Kim from Montana opus 215

And then there was Kim, who came out of the absolute blue.
An email stating she was coming from Montana,
Wishing to meet me for a brief moment as she passed through.
She was a development officer for Vital Ground,
A land trust working on, especially Montana bear habitat.
Why me I asked--"I have sent only a dollar now and then."
She said, "I wanted to know who this dollar donor was--
Did some research, read some poems."
And her mind somehow concluded I was A Renaissance Man!

She arrived to visit for a brief hour,
Promised coffee in hand from Starbucks.
What a magical few minutes with a counterpart,
Who had to leave ever too soon to meet with real donors!
How nice it would be to stay in touch
And experience a moment of magic now and again.

11/11/11--Veterans Day opus 216

Would it be so, that on this day,
Sometime in the mist and fog of the future,
That there would be no further murdered bodies
To revere and remember.
The entire world might have learned
That war and killing does nothing to solve things;
Rather that the future day would be for those
Who served and died long ago--
Warfare would have become an obsolete word and action
And the children of the world
Would travel and meet, and laugh and understand each other
And prejudice and hatred would be unknown.

Trees and Turkeys opus 217

Displaying a DC Christmas tree each year from a different state,
Is far superior than pardoning an innocent turkey at Thanksgiving--
One, the death of a tree in its prime,
The other, life for a domesticated totally innocent bird,
Which is a genetic corruption of a magnificent wild creature.

(Remember the feud between Jefferson and Franklin
to name the national bird--the eagle vs the turkey!
I guess it is best we are not mass slaughtering
our national bird for human consumption,
celebrating a mythical (?) dinner with those whom
we would soon annihilate.)

Text Exchanges--A Place to Stay in Dublin opus 218

Text Exchanges--A Place to Stay in Dublin.

She asked:
Where should I stay in Dublin?
Do you know a place to recommend?
Looking for pub with grub and a bed.

I responded:
I stayed in a rundown back room,
Before I left for the north.  F.

She retorted:
That'll do. That's a Poem.

I again:
Good. W an intro, that will be in print!
Thanks.  F.

She concluded:
Small poems came my way like acorns fall
When the time is right.

Gaza opus 219

At present 12,000 taken / gone.
Many, now unknown.
Taken by whom?
So many--
Does it really matter?
How many innocents must be sacrificed
From any side
To justify the end?

In a Poet's Mind opus 220

'From Wok to Chopsticks'
I saw written on the paper sleeve;
Kindly delivered to me,
Packaged with food from a friend.
My mind transformed this logo
Into a musical variation:

From the shell-shaped utensil--
Heated by open fire--
It creates food for sustenance
Which is lifted to the mouth
With two delicate sticks
Dexterously manipulated by agile fingers!

My Text Encouragement to One, Fearful of Caves opus 221

Hello. No need to enter the cave:
Sit, contemplate, and revel
In the beauty of its entrance--
Then learn of its geologic formation,
For an intro-spection!  F.

Remembrance of WWII and Vietnam. An Email from Loren opus 222

An email from Loren appeared, responding to my 'Gaza' poem--

'Beyond a threshold. It is hard to understand the scale of tragedy and loss.
I recently looked back on the tragedy that was WWII.
I knew it was catastrophic, but comprehending death
In the thousands/hundreds of thousands/millions is near impossible.
Difficult subject to tackle at 0800 Hours (the time of my 'Gaza' poem) or any time!'

My email response to Loren--
Yes, WWII. I was four, but remember the conclusion.
My father was involved in developing
The O2 pilots' breathing mask.
He had many interesting and harrowing tales
Which he related to his three children over the years.

I cannot look at the horrible films about such any more.
I declared myself a pacifist in 1966 amidst the Vietnam fiasco.
Trying times with all that and attempting to finish Grad school!
My number for the draft was never called,
But I was ready to choose among three--
A1 ambulance, prison, or flee to Canada.
I believe now I would have chosen Canada
And I would have become a passionate patriot!
(Who knows.)

Be well and stay in touch. I need the voice of youth
To surround me and help maintain some equilibrium.
As ever, Frank.

Music To My Ears, II. Middle Years; Antioch College opus 223

Adding a bit more from High School, I was serendipitously introduced to jazz.
(1956).
The Newton High School was performing the 'Connecticut Yankee' musical.
After the final successful performance on that Saturday evening,
I was encouraged and invited to go to someone's home,
Taking my upright double bass with me and jamming!
I had never done such a thing--just extemporaneously playing by ear.
I knew all my musical keys, so knowing such with each tune,
I thought I might be able to 'fake it' somehow.
In fact, it really worked and that was the beginning--
I performed jazz, along with the classical through Grad School!

Well, I arrived (1959) at Antioch College, Yellow Springs, Ohio.
I jumped right into classes--music, science, literature, religion.
Of course, I joined the orchestra, led by David Epstein,
A good, clear conductor and later, I would learn, was a violinist.
We had many hours (and years!) of playing together.

One quarter, it was announced that David would temporarily have leave
And Donald Keetes, music history professor, would take his place.
Keetes was a light, indecisive conductor,
So I almost immediately switched to choir!
It was for only the quarter, and I missed my bass,
But I learned much about using my vocal cords,
Rather than fingering on large gut and steel strings.
The following quarter, I met Keetes again as professor
In a music history class--no singing notes, just notes.
He was a student of Hindemith and very knowledgeable.
My term paper, being deeply into religion and seeking a personal god,
Was a comparative study of the Masses of Mozart, Beethoven, and Stravinsky.
I remember hiding away to write at Lady Alice Bingle's apartment downtown.
She had nursed my father during his illness while he was
A student at Antioch, years previously.
I trepidatiously handed in my paper to Keetes,
Who surprised me with a big, fat A!

During my fifth and final year (I had taught in Switzerland for a year abroad),
David Epstein came to me after one of our rehearsals,
Asking if I would conduct a movement of Bach's Brandenburg Concerto #3,
While he performed the solo violin part in its designated musical movement.
Remembering my one opportunity in High School
And how wonderful the experience turned out to be,
I immediately said 'yes' and got to work, studying the score.
A real score, so complete, with one page containing the entire ensemble.
So you can imagine, the pages were turned quickly!
The graduation concert, including my conducting debut, went very well.
At this point in my life, I was struggling with career choices
Between religion, music, and biology to earn my future keep in the world.
After much thought, I chose biology, which, as it turned out, was a wise decision.
Music, however, continued to be a large part of my life.

Our Sun-Star opus 224

It is November at 11 AM in Davis, California.
The thermometer on the north side of the house registered 55 F,
While the south side directly in the sun measured 90 F.
Such a huge difference! (Even though not read correctly.)
What would we do without our Sun-Star!
If one's mind wanders from the past into the future,
The horrible thought of a Nuclear Winter without the sun
Would freeze one's mind into a possible chaos.

Nora opus 225

On this day, seven years ago at 0115 AM, my wife of 31 years passed.
This was a dynamic marriage with ups and downs--with most of the former.
As with all long term relationships,
The memories become more poignant as time passes.
We met when Nora stopped by to purchase a Wood Duck,
One of many species of wild ducks which I raised on my farm.
She always joked that she came to buy a duck
And left with the duck and a share in half a llama!

As time passed, our experiences became more profound,
Commencing with matching our new kitchen colors
With soft orange-yellow hues of a very studied sunset.
We continually worked together to manage our farm,
Working with chicken and turkey harvesting,
To netting catfish, using our 100 foot seine-nets,
To gathering vegetables from our one acre chemical-free garden,
To raising orphaned emu chicks in our living room!

Nora was a world expert linguist in the Breton language.
She guided me through her conference trips to Scotland and Ireland,
Where I found my own genealogical genetic roots.
Her use of continual elevated vocabulary raised my speaking abilities.

Her encouragement and support for our Quail Ridge land trust was incalculable.
Together, we raised six million dollars and purchased about 2000 acres!
This area is now part of the UCD Natural Reserve System;
Many thought its success would be absolutely impossible--not so!
Beyond this, a Student Endowment is now in a very active, continual place.
Nora and I never had children, but she always nurtured my two boys.

Her end was finalized with a merciless plague of cancer
Which raged throughout her body--she worried most about losing her special mind.
This disease ended the life of a most talented person--
Such knowledge and love was lost to the world forever,
Except through all those remaining who knew her
And continually recount her productive and giving life.

(Also on this day in Texas 60 years ago, JF Kennedy was assassinated.)

An Atomic Tragedy opus 226

No atomic blast has yet occurred,
But we witness slow, deliberate Ukraine destruction in spite.
How could this murder and mayhem tenaciously obtain,
When no atomic blast has even been ignited?
Fear, blackmail, bullying, unfair advantage, holding hostage,
And no one dares to counter
For fear of horrible reprisal--
Basically, any direct counteraction,
Undoubtedly, could lead to world-wide devastation.
Paralyzed to counter directly,
For fear of direct self-ruin,
Allows the annihilation, murder, and mutilation
To uncontrollably continue.

Dog Walking opus 227

So many dog walking accidents have been reported--
Dragged by dog and leash to injury and broken bones,
Resulting from a canine rival or just a passing squirrel.
Do we forget that even though domesticated for perhaps 30,000 years,
These genetically captured, leashed creatures still maintain,
At least some of their original, primordial instincts?

Reconciliation or (just) Recognition? opus 228

Three generations sat together at Thanksgiving,
Discussing, in part, their problems with communication.
The oldest one, who spoke well,
And did not grow up with electronic communication,
Actually apologized for having been so stubborn
To resist the new electronic mode of talking.
The middle generation liked the apology,
But offered no compromise.
The youngest of the generations,
Admitted he just did not use email and will not talk
With the oldest generation's attempt
Of at least trying to pass on something to him!
From the elder's viewpoint, minimally,
He only made a truce of emotion,
And gained no true compromise from the other two;
Hardly reconciliation and perhaps just recognition.

Humans are the only animal who evolutionarily
Can speak and have a complex, written language.
Will this marvelous genetic ability languish--unused--
And mutate back to vocal grunts and silence,
Augmented by spurts of electricity?

Nature AND Nurture opus 229

We receive our ontology,
Phylogenetically, through our parents.

We are what we eat.

We become what we behold.

So much to learn, so little time.

Climate Panic opus 230

Will science be lost in the abyss of ignorance?
Denial of our climate future
Has led to death threats of meteorologists,
Who are just attempting to warn the population
That the world climate is indeed changing,
Implying that local weather patterns are moderating.

The old Romans would kill the messenger carrying bad news.
Have we actually resorted now, even with science,
To threatening those merely voicing
The pending challenges to which
We must all eventually need to adjust?

A Tribute to Sandra Day O'Connor opus 231

Sandra Day O'Connor died today at 93.
She was the first woman on the US Supreme Court (1981).
She was a role model for an ever-increasing
Number of young women entering the law.
She championed women, generally, towards greater rights.
She encouraged a mood of tolerance and moderation on the Court.
Her influence on society will remain for many years;
However, with the now conservative Court,
Much of what she attempted to mediate there
Is sadly now, at present, lost in this new intolerant era.

Music To My Ears, III. Later Years. Cornell opus 232

Well, I began applying to Grad Schools--Duke and Cornell being two.
I decided on Cornell in Ithaca, NY, near my maternal grandparents farm on Seneca Lake.
(When I started flying, I flew to visit the farm,
Repeating the Republic Seabee (pontoon) flight with my father,
When I was about 10 years old, first gliding over that same farm!)
The Cornell program was experimental,
Allowing certain students to skip Masters and proceed straight to Ph.D.
My professor was Charles Sibley in the Conservation Department.
He was an ornithology specialist and we studied that group, using starch gel electrophoresis.
I was being trained in the techniques,
And before I made a decision for a study subject,
Sibley decided to transfer to Yale.
I decided to stay and study with Daniel Q. Thompson, a conservation professor.
So, I took up the torch, working with the vole, Microtus pennsylvanicus.

As all this was occurring, I joined the Cornell orchestra,
Led by the well-known conductor, Karel Husa.
I became first bassist, with many concerts following,
One of which was playing at the Kennedy Center in New York City,
For the one hundredth anniversary of Cornell University!
On about my third year at Cornell, with the Vietnam War raging,
I, remembering my conducting 'history', approached Karel,
And asked if I might conduct the orchestra at some point.
He was very kind, but said that there were many 'professionals' in the orchestra,
And that would really not be appropriate, but added
That if I took his conducting class, I would be obliged to conduct!
Such a wonderful person, who understood a person's real desire.
I took the course, learned many techniques, and prepared my score--
Brahm's Symphony 2 and one of its movements--I remember not which.
I do remember one portion was a delightful two against three rhythm.
After weeks of preparation, my time arrived.
I watched the 'real' music majors doing their stuff--
So weak, with no real strength in their motions.
(A couple admitted to me that they had no interest in conducting.)
I wore a blue Tom Jones large sleeve shirt
And went through the paces with great gusto!
Upon concluding, I was completely elated and on a musical high.

Well, a year passed and the end of the term was approaching.
I was waiting to be conducted by a new batch of student conductors.
After one of the rehearsals, Karel came to me
And asked if I would like to conduct again.
I was delighted and he invited me to view a score--
It was the 'Unanswered Question' by Charles Ives.
The piece had three tempi going on simultaneously!
Karel asked me how I would conduct this short, but complex piece.
I said I would cue the trumpet and then cue the four flutes,
While maintaining my continual conducting of the complete string section.
Karel, who was a flamboyant conductor paused
To check the Ives' notes in the score--
Karel (I suspected) expected that the instructions would be
That one would fully conduct the trumpet and the flutes,
While just cuing the whole orchestra. (Impossible, I thought.)
Goodness, Ives suggested just what I had proposed!
Later, the demonstration went very well,
Of course after much work on the score.
Karel, I guess, was impressed with my performance,
And asked me, since the piece lasted only 10 minutes,
To repeat the whole work once again.
I was honored and terribly pleased.
I left Cornell after my four years with a Ph.D.,
Having aspirations and anticipation for my continuing, unfolding life.

(It is interesting that in my much later (1980's) farm life in Davis, California,
I came upon a new bird guide with excellently painted bird figures,
published by a David Allen Sibley, undoubtedly, Charles Sibley's son,
who took up the ornithological mantle, not with the study of genes,
but through pigment and painting. The names in this book were being
changed as a result of the newest scientific DNA techniques, the
result from some of the work in electrophoresis by his father.
History repeats and spirals upwards!)

A Thought for a Capable Woman opus 233

Cynthia, always professional, kept me apprised of every step in the progress towards our wonderful and happy result. I was sad to see my beloved land be sold, but working with Cynthia took some of the pain out of the process.

Music To My Ears, IV. Further Later Years; Turkey (now Turkiye) opus 234

Because of the economy and available academic jobs available,
I looked abroad and, since I had met Bryant and Betsy Harrell
On Nantucket Island, while I was trapping voles, researching for my Ph.D.,
And he had taken on a new deanship job at Robert College in Istanbul, Turkiye,
(Later to become Bogazici Universitesi),
He offered me a position in the biology department.
I accepted and moved to Turkiye and a new life.
As I and Maggi, my first late wife (killed in an auto accident later in Africa),
Drove through Germany, then Greece, and entered Turkiye,
I tuned the radio to a local station--it was like going to Mars.
I knew several languages, but I recognized not a word being broadcast.
As I said later, it was as though my tongue were removed from my mouth!
We settled into an apartment in Cucuk Bebek, an Istanbul suburb on the Bosphorus.
(See my 'Poems and Thoughts' on swimming the Bosphorus.)

After getting acquainted with my Constantinople Greek department head,
An elderly woman who soon died of cancer--
And I, having an appendicitis and a hospital stay,
I commenced through all that to learn much of my beginning Turkish.
(I actually learned from my Turkish ambulance driver how to count, 1 to 10.)
I discovered some fellow musicians and we befriended each other.
I soon had a leave for visa work and was in Saltzburg, Austria.
We went to an instrument maker and purchased an old 18th century 'cello.
Of course I had to learn the new instrument and its fingering.
Returning 'home' and with much practising, I approached Tom, a violinist,
His wife, Laura, violist, David, a pianist, and a flautist.
We started practising at an apartment in the shadows of the Rumeli Hisar,
A fortress constructed by Ahmet the Conqueror,
Who eventually conquered Constantinople and then all of Turkiye.
We practised every Friday evening from 5 to 11 with a 'gifted' dinner, lasting an hour.
We got quite good together and experienced marvelous evenings.
 I later came down with TB and was confined for many weeks in basic apartment isolation.
During that time I learned Esperanto, wrote, read, and learned the 12 tone system of music
Created by Schönberg, who migrated from Russia to Los Angeles, USA!
(When moving to California, I visited his 'reconstructed' studio at UCLA..)

I composed, in my isolation, two pieces for flute and cello, the scores of which
I later discussed with Karel Husa at Cornell on one of my home leaves.
These two works I performed in the Harrell's
Huge living room overlooking the Bosphorus,with many local colleagues in the audience.
It was a step forward in yet another musical dimension.
The Harrell's were gracious hosts and all went perfectly.
I finally returned to California for yet another life,
My music basically hibernating from thereon,
With so many new agricultural changes pending,
Also, creating the Environmental Education Farm Foundation, a non profit,
As well as the Quail Ridge Wilderness Conservancy land trust,
Music was still all around me, but now played by others.
Each piece they play still yields some memory from my past life.

Supper in My House! (An email.) opus 235

(I had friends who delivered a meal to me, when I was not feeling well,
instead of attending a restaurant together, as originally planned.)

It was almost as romantic and fun,
Having my imbibition and mastication
Accompanied by little notes and menus as I ate,
Compared to a noisy restaurant.

Of course you were there with your informative
Post-it Note epistles, informing and instructing along the way.
Perhaps the 'conversation' was a little one-sided, though.

Thanks,  F.

Must There Always be Perpetual War? opus 236

I was born in 1941 and was old enough
To comprehend the meaning in 1945,
As to why the neighbor children were banging pots with joy!
Then came the Korean War, I listening to PBS at 12,
And the horrible situation which eventually divided Korea.
Once again later, another conflict in Vietnam
To block a possible 'domino effect',
Resulting yet again, in a divided nation.
So many further wars throughout Africa,
Where I taught for many years.
Now we witness the basic genocide
By the Russians and Israelis,
Pulverizing their hapless opponents,
Completely outnumbered and outgunned.
One claims historic ownership, voicing the desire
To reunite the old Union,
The other claims revenge, even though they originally invaded,
Reclaiming land, historically, after a 2000 year hiatus.

Is there no way we all can just view, from a spatial distance,
And realize how very unique our planet actually is--
From space we see no borders, nor politics, nor religions?
We must somehow, sometime soon, learn how to live together
As one species, ensuring life also for our fellow creatures
And not be divided by our cultural foibles and impediments.

A Tiny Gift opus 237

I was ready to walk into the pet store
To purchase crickets for my wonderful Bearded lizard.
And there she was crouched and wrapped in a blanket.
I stopped and said hello and "I don't carry cash."

"Oh, I have money. Would you get me some food--
Down at Jack's Restaurant, just down there."

I said, "Sure. I don't need money."
And wrote her food list on my wrist.
It was cold and rainy. I was ready to do something good.
Returning with her food and beverage,
I handed her the bag with the goodies.

After purchasing the eight (!) crickets
I then passed by her enjoying my gift.
We exchanged smiles and said goodbye.
I was overwhelmed, realizing there are so many like this.

An Email to a Jewish Friend opus 238

I just can't talk about all this horror.
It might have been predicted,
Which really makes it even more tragic
And just terrible for both sides.
It is tearing our country apart,
Including the challenge to the
Traditional 'free speech' in our places of learning--
Even your Harvard is crumbling.

I am overwhelmed with pain.

F.

What is Beauty? opus 239

Humans have wondered for centuries as to what beauty truly is.
Why is it that often after a stroke or brain damage,
That artistic ability often manifests itself or that existing abilities improve?
What goes with our brains and aesthetics--it is not sex nor food!
It is clear humans make aesthetic judgements of faces;
Perhaps described as charming, stunning, or gorgeous.
Even infants (at six months!) gaze longer at an attractive face.

Innately, our brain seems to be evolutionarily organized.
There may be an adaptation for better survival;
Symmetry may be interpreted for better infant health and survival,
An epiphenomenon which depicts a longer, better life.
Faces and natural landscapes elicit these choices--types,
As opposed to architecture and then human art,
Which yield less response.

Now contemplate games--soccer is rated as 'a beautiful game'--
The choreography and elegance of players' movements.
Also consider the beauty of science--E=mc2, mathematics or chess.
An infant's face lights up, having just understood some manipulation.
The satisfaction of knowing beauty can adaptively accomplish usefulness.
There is a satisfaction of taking something apart and then, back together.
What a wonder to contemplate why protons in a nucleus
Remain together and do not repel one another
And to then discover the function of quarks and gluons which help do such:
This results in weak forces when close together
And strong forces when further apart.

Even efficiency is a beautiful thing!
Biological reproduction yields mutated variability,
All of which is selected for survival.
Beauty is not only functional, but useful--
Consider a bee's hexagonal wax cell.
Why can most incomprehensible things in the world,
Be at the same time comprehensible?

But why?
To paraphrase Keats--'Beauty is Truth and Truth is Beauty. That is all'.

Two Types of Blackmail opus 240

Two types of blackmail are holding at present the modern world at bay--
One needed solution is how to counter the slaughter of the Ukranians
Where if pressed too hard, there is the constant fear of nuclear retaliation.
The second needed solution is how to counter the slaughter of Palestinians
When there is the continual religious guilt and pain, knowing that at one time,
The aggressor was once the victim of slaughter of its own.
With more love, compassion, and understanding from all,
This totality of basic cruelty might be mercifully obliterated and resolved.

A Maple Syrup Thank You opus 241

Ah, dear woman,
With liquid sweetness
Flowing into my widened mouth,
You are sweetening ME,
So that greater remuneration
Will flow into your company's coffers.

Many thanks for the
Thickened juices of Acer saccharum.

(An email sent to Monique, whose New England
company sent me maple syrup as a thank you gift.)

Grief Unveiled opus 242

I have experienced grief several times during my 82 years--
A brother John, was only 20, a victim of a hunting shooting,
Where the unknown shooter shot in the air with no backing;
A father, his age at only 57, worn out from childhood rheumatic fever,
Which manifested its final blow from a weakened heart,
After testing high altitude breathing equipment during WW II;
A wife, Maggi, driving exam results from the University
To me in the field for proofreading and correction,
When her topheavy Land Rover overturned on a washboard dirt road--
The collision gently broke her neck, leaving no bodily mark;
A dearly beloved grandson, died in a terribly horrible car crash,
The horror shared with two companion boy friends, also dead;
A wife of 31 years, who died with a body riddled with cancer--
A great loss for me and her surrounding world.

I have never cried or became angry,
But rather have created a hand created marker,
Or created an endowment for students in our names together,
Or written narratives extolling their contributions to us all.
This type of grief behavior has been labelled as instrumental grief.
Intuitive grief is shown through emotion,
Such as crying, anger or outright emotional behavior.
I have, until I learned about these differences,
Thought I had not properly grieved.
It is a relief to now understand that I am not 'cold hearted',
And that many other fellow Homo sapiens, similarly grieve.

A Moment from the Past opus 243

Once again, I was in line in the pet store with more 'lizard-crickets'.
A pleasant young lady pulled back with a full cart of product.
She smiled as I said, "Thank you."
I paid and was walking out as she passed by me.
I said, "So you told me you have rabbits."
Then asking if she had chickens
To graze the droppings from the cages above.
"No," she said, stopping to talk.
"Did you have children in the Davis schools?"
I said yes and named my two boys, Pierre and Basil.
"Oh, I went to school with Basil!"
She gave me her name as Sevgi.
Rummaging through my mind for languages,
I said, not quite sure which language to grab onto,
"That means love!"  "Yes it is Turkish."
"Of course," I responded. She smiled that I had understood.
(I did live in Turkiye for some years.)
Her sparkling eyes prompted me to invite her
And her family to my farm.
We said goodbye, I, feeling a nice warmth of internationalism.
Travel in and learning about other cultures
Does add a further dimension to one's depth.

Christmas Owls, Nuptially Vocalizing opus 244

I woke early on the Friday before Christmas Monday.
My first Great Horned Owls' nuptial calls of the winter.
How wonderful that they once again have returned to me,
As they have for the almost half century I have lived here.
I had been dreaming of squash and mashed potatoes,
With a parcel of turkey in some unknown kitchen--
All warm with smells of deliciousness.
It is Christmas and my owls are unknowingly
Welcoming this time to be warm of heart and to remember
All the varied past times that we humans
Have created to make a short winter day,
Special for our complex human spirits.

A Christmas greeting from a Humanist.

So, Who Has Suffered Most? opus 245

Is the tragedy in Gaza today
The equivalent to the Jewish Holocaust--
Or to the gypsies annihilated alongside the Jews--
Or to that of the early Christians thrown to the lions--
Or to the genocide of the Armenians--
Or to the terrible Clearances of the Scots
From their bucolic pastures--
Or to the cruel transport of Africans to the New World--
Or, indeed, to all slavery throughout history--
Or to the religious fury of Sudan
With its new South Sudanese neighbors--
Or to the punishment of the Bretons
By the French government--
Or to the persecution by the Puritans of MA
Of Roger Williams who then became the founder of RI--
Or to the extermination of Russian dissidents by Stalin--
Or to the victims of the Alamo who were
'Defending' territory stolen from Mexico--
Or to the mass Agent Orange killing of
The Vietnamese by the American bombers--
Or to the subtile psychological takeover of the world
By those who no longer support the fair,
But cumbersome methods of Democracy------

Is it the number involved or the general cruelty?
Is this all due to our species, who (which) evolved
Parallel to the Chimpanzees rather than to the Bonobos?

A Vietnam Memory opus 246

The war was waiting for all the young.
I had read the New Republic which questioned our involvement.
I joined the Cornell Quakers Youth Group and was soon elevated to President.
This resulted in a protest march across the Peace Bridge into Canada.
What to do? What to do? What to do?
My choices soon became clear, if my number in the 300's came to the fore--
Become an A1, weaponless medic or ambulance driver--
Become a non-cooperator and go to prison--
Or emigrate to Canada as a persona-non-grata, with a price on my head--
Such decisions for a 19 year old were terrifying.
I could well imagine the reality of each choice:
Horrible death / isolation in a cell / or a stranger in a foreign land.

The draft ended and my number never came up--
Relief, guilt, life continuing, finding work in a strained economy.
I survived, but with mental scars which would last a lifetime.

Procrastination opus 247

Procrastination might be said
To result from laziness.
But the hesitation to take action
May bring about a pause
So that thoughts accumulate
And yield a more positive result.
To simply abandon something completely
Could be finally credited to good sense
Or perhaps just to cowardice.

Okto Mom--A Devoted Mother opus 248

Okto Mom has been sitting on a rock outcrop,
Guarding her clutch of eggs for four years!
Once she started brooding her developing offspring,
She remained still, eating nothing.
Over the years, she became emaciated,
Her color fading further and further to a complete paleness
In spite of that, she warded off, especially prowling crabs,
Constantly perusing the area for an opening.
After the four years--the longest incubation
Known for any creature--
The hatchlings scampered out of their encasements
And moved away in all directions,
While she succumbed to the awaiting scavengers.
Such devotion--to be noted--
And a demise to be recorded and eulogised.

Orientation to Our World opus 249

Humans always knew that which was around them:
Plants for food and medicines,
Creatures from termites to antelope for nutrition,
Poisonous species from both Kingdoms,
And perfect orientation to travel here and there.

In the Kalahari I saw all of this manifested--
A Bushman (now better called San, Khwe, Basarwa, Khoisan)
Even guided us for many miles,
Through the 'featureless' bush, compass in his head,
To a single cave (Drotsky's) which we wished to study.

Today our youth devour fatty, sugar-laden junk food,
And have no idea of what they have passed,
Using the mindless, electronic GPS which,
If the system were to fail, they would be utterly lost.

Obsolete Hormones? opus 250

Testosterone evolved to give males
The ability for aggression to protect.
Estrogen gave females the desire to create new life.
In our modern world unneeded Testosterone
Results in male rapes, murders, and male prison terms.
In our modern world Estrogen has generated desire for a birth,
Except when a 45 year old wants a child
And later realizes that the 20 year old offspring
Is overwhelming the aging mother!

Christmas Alone opus 251

I have always been sheltered by family to have companionship.
Now I am old and the youth are off on their own.
They do not realize how much they are now needed.
I wait for a moment to interact,
But in the meantime I have many wonderful memories
Which sustain me in thought to have continuous life.
So many memories of candlelight and the scent of an evergreen.
The future will eventually continue without me,
Although with a choice, I would love to see what might yet unfold!

A New Perspective on Santa opus 252

This is a saga told to me by my son, Pierre.
Rowan, my grandson, was being initiated
Into the stories of Santa Claus and
From where some presents come.
After a few tales of initiation, Rowan became emotional--
Non-cooperative, crying, and with belligerent behavior.
Both parents were clueless as to why.

After a time, it was slowly revealed
That the concept of Santa coming down the chimney
Created a disturbing thought of a stranger-intruder.
This might be because of all the news
Of violence surrounding us?
This imagined intrusion outscored
The thought of incoming presents!

New Year's Eve opus 253

Today is 2023; Tomorrow will be 2024.
Time, when contemplated, is a funny thing.
There are 'other' peoples' calendars
Which do not coincide with 'ours'.
Calendars, besides dates,
Reflect various histories and events;
It is all relevant to the awareness of a culture.
In addition, the months in a 'year' are often
Relegated to the cycling of the moon or the sun,
Yielding conflicting nomenclature of 'time'.
Months are named for people or events--
But why is December, the 12th month,
Named 'Deci', meaning 10?!
Even the days' names have individual significance.
Time is an imaginary fiction, defined by human need and desire
To have illusionary control over an overwhelming universe.

Our Tree Shrew Affair opus 254

So far, biological studies have shown
All life on earth is related to a single DNA system.
Life shares its connectedness,
Demonstrating the relative closeness of our related status.
Clues of relatedness are also derived
From skeletal bone and tooth fragments.
In that light, the primary ancestor of primates--including us,
Was an arboreal, insectivorous tree shrew!
This is Purgatorius, from 65 million years ago, weighing 3.5 ounces.
The best fossil from 55 million years ago is Dryomomys.

It was always thought that these creatures were solitary.
Good science, with additional evidence
Now demonstrates that our primate ancestors
Appear to have lived as pairs--
Increasing their ability to protect each other,
To increase the success to forage food,
And to more competently raise offspring.
So now, as you snuggle with your partner,
Realize that this genetic behavior may be owed
To an arboreal, insectivorous tree shrew!

Awake, Neanderthal You have migrated to a new time zone opus 255

Our genome is shared with cousins Neanderthal and Denisovan.
Neanderthals migrated out of Africa to the north,
Then splitting into Denisovans moving east.
By going north, the Neanderthal genome mutated to cope with new conditions,
Including viruses and disease challenges in their new environment.
Before the Neanderthal disappeared 40,000 years ago,
They encountered a cousin species,
Homo sapiens--us, also moving out of Africa.
Some of each group took a liking to each other and created a Homo mix!
Neanderthals infected sapiens with some viruses.
Both Neanderthals and Denisovans passed on genes
Which influenced appetite and metabolism,
But they also shared genetic defenses
And genetic variants which affected sleep--
This, because of new varying day and seasonal times in the north.

Proteins in our cells rise and fall in a 24 hour cycle,
Controlling both slumbering times and when one wakes.
It appears that those of us who have inherited a certain array,
Seem to wake up earlier than those who comfortably snooze later.

So much to contemplate when we start to consider
Just exactly from where we come and who we really are!

The Olfactory Mammal opus 256

Crickets to purchase in the pet store.
Wandered by the fish--and then the Betta display.
She had her back to me--she was tall.
I said, "You can train those, you know."
She turned; morphologically lovely.
We chatted about her school, her past,
Her time in our town; I added just a bit.

Not sure if I said something or she,
But there was a blush to her face.
Her prominent nose reminding me
Of my first Armenian High School love.
Then my nostrils were filled with her
Sweet female scent.
A shot went through me and I, the biologist,
Knew I was truly an olfactory mammal;
As she walked away,
Leaving her lingering pheromone.
Indeed, my whole phylogeny
Raced throughout my ontogeny.

The Fire Pole opus 257

I grew up in Newton, Massachusetts,
The city, with a good educational system.
As many of you did, third graders toured
Their neighborhoods.
The one trip I remember was to the fire department.
And there was the brass fire pole!
The firemen demonstrated coming down
Through that hole in the ceiling!

Years later, now with two sons, living in their barn room,
And remembering my past, I asked
If they wished to have a pole.
Giving a resounding 'yes',
I simply cut a hole in the floor!
During all their youth,
Descending for school or chores,
They each glided down a pole to meet the day.

6 January 2024 opus 258

Today, the 6th of January is three years from the time,
When we all watched in real time, the invasion of our Capitol.
Today, in spite of the actual empirical evidence,
There are many, potentially destroying our democracy,
By actually denying that such a disruption ever occurred--
"It was only a group of enthusiastic tourists visiting their Capitol ."
Are we on the verge of a crumbling and destroyed democracy,
Where lies become the final truth?
Are we actually in this adumbration of a terrible future?

Lies are always, historically, uncovered and found out.

'Vertebra' opus 259

(My daughter-in-law rarely communicates in any form, so it was a surprise
that I received a text! 5 January 2024.)

I have had an occasional visit from my 3 year old grandson, Rowan,
Who traversed my farm, talking with me about encountered objects.
He pointed out a whale vertebra, from one of my earlier biology jobs.
I repeated the word, 'vertebra', many times,
Also pointing out his own vertebrae, comprising his backbone.
My grandson had a great time and went back home.

Eight days later, his mother sent this text to me:

    Hi, Frank, sorry (as usual) for the lack of contact.
    I wanted to let you know something you would enjoy.
    Tonight Rowan said, "I hope my vertebrae are doing ok."
    I asked him where he learned such a sophisticated word.

    And he said, "From Papa Frank."

  It was quite impressive and very sweet.
  Thank you for teaching him these important things
  That he will carry forward in his life.
  I appreciate it.

I answered, "Yes, he liked that word. We were looking at
My whale vertebra then to his back."

Such an unpredictable, unforecast pleasure!

Replications opus 260

Is there a differentiation between
The confining, inescapable borders of Gaza,
Or the cattle car walls, transporting people
To their potential demise?
See how the protagonists shift, but a similar model
Often appears in our contentious human history.
There are only so many models of historical outcomes
Which can be replicated by this 'intelligent' human animal!

(2 to 12 to 21 to 22K at present.)

Roadkill opus 261

Human deaths and roadkill involving deer
Are continually occurring with our invading highways
Into the unbounded wilderness which once reigned.
Many warning signs increased, declaring 'Deer Crossing'.
One woman in Michigan, who had collided with several deer,
Vociferously opposed these signs saying,
"The signs are only instructing deer to cross at a specific place,
And therefore should be removed to lessen these accidents." (!)

Oh, dear god, why can our early education
Not be more logically inclusive??

(Read 'Crossings' on roadkill by Ben Goldfarb.)

To Paul, Who Would Understand opus 262

Horses arose in North America,
Increased in size, and migrated westward.
Presently, a 'new' invasion of a present
'Modern', larger form has obtained,
Replenishing the space of their progenitors

Similarly, the Khoisan arose in Southern Africa
And were partially replaced,
Not only by the Bantu group,
But by the invading 'caucasian',
Repopulating many spaces
Of their original African progenitors.

To Don, My Brother-in-Law opus 263

(A silly little verse to amuse him in his confinement.)

So you request sipping some vodka with tea,
Which you say must be imbibed together with me.
We have a long history of ups and downs together,
So we have much to chew on--and not just the weather.
It is nice to have revived our former involvement
And thus allow us ensemble, to fade into the firmament.

Variation on a Theme opus 264

Limits
    Even on a calm day
    if you remain quiet
    and hold your breath

    you still will not
    be able to hear
    the singing of the clouds.

So wrote Billy Collins
And I added:

Yes, even the cumulonimbus is silent--
It is the accompanying thunder,
Caused by the piercing lightening
That cries out with the opening theme
Of the Fifth Symphony.

(Billy Collins, Musical Tables, 2022.)

Two Possibilities opus 265

Headstones

    If the dates show
    the husband died
    shortly after the wife--

    first Gladys then Harry,
    Betty followed by Tim--

    the cause is often
    gradual starvation
    and not a broken heart.

So wrote Billy Collins
And I added:

And if the sequence occurs opposite--
Harry then Gladys,
Tim followed by Betty--

The cause is often sadness,
With no one to feed,
Or relief that the meat and
Potatoes man is gone
And she can now delve
Into more interesting recipes.

(Billy Collins, Musical Tables, 2022.)

How Wonderful to be so Royally Goosed! opus 266

I woke on 7 January as usual, ready for the day.
As always, I gazed out the large window,
Overlooking my smallish pond.
Many mornings, there are no waterfowl to excite me,
But this day, twenty Canada Geese were gliding here and there,
Swimming, interacting, and feeding,
Necks disappearing under the surface.
Suddenly, I realized there were three similar, but smaller individuals.
A shot went through my heart, as I recognized that different species!
Although moderately rare in my Davis area,
These were indeed the smaller Cackling Geese,
Intermingling, unopposed with their larger cousins.
For a naturalist, such minor observations of our modern dinosaurs
Give one a jolt of joy, just to behold such a wonderful encounter.

I do wonder, if we could introduce all of our leaders
To ornithology and nature-observation thereof,
Might peace and caring then reign throughout the world?

Canada Goose (Branta canadensis)
Cackling Goose (Branta hutchinsii)
    {Only 'recently' split off.}

The Glitter Problem opus 267

Living in the country, one always feels clean and fresh,
Until that deflated birthday balloon plops down in one's field.
I had enough, and went to the supervisors of Davis,
The people of which often celebrated by releasing balloons.
Explaining the problem, they voted to cease such a practice!.
Good! But now I hear of a micro mode of pollution:
The increased use of very small glitter,
Especially on women's attire--even lipstick!
As these tiny particles disperse,
They literally diffuse into everything--
Oceans, lakes, rivers, fields, cities and towns--
Basically everywhere;
Composed of micro plastics that give a visual thrill,
But then a major headache as to their disposal.
These miniscule pollutants are ingested into many living creatures--
Fish, birds, mammals--hey, that includes us!

Do we really have any idea how we are
Just plain screwing up our living quarters??

The Position of the Eagles' Wings opus 268

You have heard, perhaps from me, about the debate
Between Jefferson and Franklin concerning the eagle vs the turkey?
Well, since Jefferson won, many of our coins have eagles!
If you have 'numismatically' studied our US coins,
Upon which are several eagles--
Have you noticed the position of these eagles' wings?

1858: Morgan dollars--wings outstretched to show strength?--
Even though the first minted number of tail feathers
Were even and not odd?
Civil War pending. Perhaps hopeful defiance?

1887:  'Flying Eagle' one cent--wings beautifully outstretched--
Hopeful for a peaceful thought after the Civil War? But, did not last long.

1921+:  The Peace Dollar, minted for only six days in that year--
Wings beautifully folded in hope of no further wars?
Then continued on for an abbreviated amount of time.

1932+:  Or our quarter with George Washington on the obverse
And the unimaginative eagle on the reverse.
Was this because of the devastating Great Depression
Or had we just lost the excitement surrounding our founding fathers
And created only a stereotyped eagle?
The mood of a country may be depicted through its coins.
There are so many more. Susse or ferret them out!
{Know the derivation of those two words? Just wondering.}

History is everywhere for the astute to behold!

Cold Drizzle opus 269

A cloud ceiling dominated the sky,
Spewing a light, cold drizzle over the earth:
(At least cold for a California morning).

A 'V' of Canada Geese pumped the air overhead,
Crying out, perhaps with joy, to be able
To levitate through the misty ether.

Flowers on an Unused Stove opus 270

A bouquet, watered in a drinking glass,
Rests on an unused stove--
Unused, because the cooking in this household
Utilizes a solar box--
Sometimes 'touched up' with the microwave.

Eva opus 271

A mistaken misdial, introduced me to Eva,
'The Russian Lady', as she declared herself to be;
A Senior Consultant of a Boston firm.
Texting back and forth together--
I, always anticipating a conclusion and an end.
She sent a photo, upon which I have thoughtfully contemplated.
Who might this young woman actually be?
Dark, strong eyes, looking straight at me.
Auburn hair flowing around her face.
Lips that might so gently be touched.
A sharp chin, which could depict tenacity.
Generally, overall, a determined attitude towards life.
In her texting photo she shows herself,
Holding a brief of some sort, surrounded by files behind her.
Russia, Canada, Texas, and Boston are her pedigree--
Travelled as much as I and still a mystery.
With some gentle talk and a few poems,
She might reveal her true person.

Patience, dear one.

The USS Constitution: Recollections of a Boy on One of Our Greatest Ships opus 272

Now sitting in Boston Harbor--Still commissioned!
The USS Constitution was visited by a small school boy.
A very large ship for a little boy,
Who imagined all that might have occurred,
While this ship was a weapon maintaining freedom.

Quick maneuvering, flashing cannons on her decks,
Dexterously guided by her captains.
It is said, cannon balls were deflated by her oaken hull.
That is the origin for the name 'Old Ironsides'.
Very low decks, as remembered by one
Who imagined how much bending would be needed
To be a tall man in amongst such quarters.
Used by Jefferson to quell
The ravaging Tripoli pirates in the Barbary War!
This beautiful wind powered ship
Shall always be a memory of inspiration
To now a grown, experienced cosmopolitan man,
Who continually revered every moment,
While conducting his own sailing.

(Reviewing sections of Kilmeade's and Yeager's
'Thomas Jefferson and the Tripoli Pirates', I was jolted
into what was done with pirates blocking US trade and
today's efforts to break the world blockade of the Red Sea
and Suez by the Yemeni Houthis. History does repeat itself--
the Mediterranean and now the Red Sea. I was truly
overwhelmed reviewing our history.
My breath was taken away, almost to tears.)

To My Dermatologist, Christie Carroll, et al opus 273

I would like to take a moment
To thank you for the several times
You have salvaged my aging life.
This is why I feel I am obligated
To give back as best I can
To my wonderful society and all it has given me.
When I am no longer to be productive--
However that might be interpreted--
I ask only that our citizens remember
The attempts I have made
To augment our environment in all its forms.
I truly wish I could live longer
To have the time to pay back what I justly owe.

What Would Jesus Do? opus 274

"A group of any ilk of people, reclaim 'their' land
From many eons in the past":
Humans are genetically territorial,
So why would one not expect
Some reaction from such an invasion?--
Conflict between 'historical reclamation'
vs 'present inhabitation'?

Which brings up an interesting question:
Did the 'invading'--migrating--Homo sapiens
Rape the Neanderthal or simply,
Now and then, fall in love?
Even today, various Caucasians and Blacks
And Asians are enchanted with 'something different'.

(It is common scientific DNA knowledge that Europeans
and groups from the Northern Hemisphere incorporate
Neanderthal and Denisovan genes, resulting from the
'new wave', northward migration of Homo sapiens.)

Book Banning opus 275

Why do certain groups of the species, sapiens,
Now that this species reads and writes,
Battle each other to abolish written knowledge
Of that of the other group,
Forcing contrary 'themes' to overwhelm, ideologically?
Well, perhaps,--idiocentric beliefs
That 'I am right--down with the other'.

A wise person, coping with this enigma, once said:
'Anger (or an absolute adherence to a dogma)
Is a form of ignorance.'
Consider the college kid who returns home, vacationing.
I was such a kid, but thankfully, I had educated parents,
Who only gently chided me for my 'outlandish' thoughts,
Knowing the same, they had endured.

Ellie The Governor opus 276

I just heard that the state of New Hampshire
Has an interesting annual event--
Namely, the government invites a fifth grader
To be 'governor for a day'.
This year the young governor was Ellie Lively
Who proclaimed her 'haupt' agenda--
Combating animal cruelty,
Educating Fifth Graders to visit animal shelters,
And follow Ellie's example of regularly
Reading to shelter animals in her local shelter.
If she is successful, other students will do the same,
Wherever they reside in the state.

We need more of this type of thinking,
Also for our 'unsheltered' wild neighbors.

Is Humanism a Solution? opus 277

Humanism is a thrust towards 'truth' for all humanity,
As is Feminism a similar thrust towards
Treating all human sexes equally.
The dogma that 'we' are the perfect truth,
Or that 'we' must exist because
There are so many adherents, for so long,
'When examined carefully, do not reach
The aspirations of most thinking people.
Humanism is an approach to life for those who wish
To live with intellectual integrity, based on reason,
Evidence, and a desire to do and be good,
Not interfering with people's rights
To their own beliefs and freedom of expression.' *
This is as long as groups are treated with tolerance,
Using no violence on either side.
There is no deity that lies in wait to chastise or punish us.
It is only we who would then chastise ourselves when appropriate.
Humanism also includes absolute caring and consideration for all other life--
To coexist and understand other creatures' actual evolutionary function,
And not simply conclude, without thoughtful consideration,
That some might be undesirable pests,
Thus caring for ALL life to thrive together on our originally very balanced planet.

* The God Argument, A,C, Grayling.

United Columns opus 278

As a child, I was fascinated with the heads of columns;
The crown of each pillar, giving it quite a distinct personality:
First the Doric, a no nonsense head of squared, simple edges;
Then the Ionic, knowledgeable scrolls on two of its perimeters;
Lastly the Corinthian, an artistic uprising of clustered feathers.
The function of a column is to uphold the structure of the protecting roof.
All three superficially distinct,
But their function, no matter what their appearance,
Serve exactly the same, still maintaining a similar task--
To continue the shielding of that below.

So is the function of the varied citizens of our land;
To maintain the democratic strength and beauty of this incredible nation,
Which we citizens must never forget, even with our differences.
We must always realize that if we do not act in ultimate unity,
This great unique experiment may become
Just one more roofless Roman ruin.

The Enlightenment of a Man opus 279

Benjamin Franklin, with all his several flaws,
Was and still is one of this country's greatest citizens.
While defending himself in a hearing, but remaining silent,
Meeting in the CockPit, a former room
Where Henry VIII conducted his cock fights,
Franklin realized he and his country were being falsely accused.
Thus, he entered that room with its (English) British officials
As a loyal officer of the Crown and English,
Then exiting in enlightened retaliation
As a 'newborn' citizen of America.

If one is alert--certain words and thoughts swirling around us--
We sometimes are 'miraculously' able
To completely convert our very core of thinking.

    (This was inspired after seeing a Ken Burns
     film on Benjamin Franklin.)

The Right-Handed Warthog opus 280

As I was perusing my recently acquired African Warthog skull--
Sustainably harvested from South Africa,
An old male with fairly worn tusks--
I noticed something noteworthy with both upper and lower tusks:
The normally long, sharp right tusks were both rounded,
Shorter, and somewhat dulled.
There was a clear differentiation between left and right.
I thought for a moment and realized that pigs root,
Especially with large tusks.
The animal had literally worn down the enlarged right teeth,
Rooting and searching for food over years of a lifetime!
Dentition of mammals is a utilized taxonomic character
And they evolved to function in each group,
Enhancing their specialities.
Consider our teeth, an omnivorous species,
Are very similar to--wait--those of bears and pigs!
Have fun thinking!

An Upper Trophic Level opus 281

I was comfortable with catfish as a product, raised in a hot summer environment. (Now after 40 years, summers are ever hotter--I remember at least three winters when all ponds would freeze over and the kids even skated -- not any longer.). While selling fish, customers had many questions, as is the wont in a direct Farmers Market. One, of course, was, 'Don't these fish feed on the bottom?' I quickly solved that one for a good reply, as well as for a better product: I used floating fish food, which created a wonderful feeding frenzy as well, which the many visiting school children immensely enjoyed! The nutrition of catfish flesh is quite complete and very healthy. But the 'haupt' subject which greatly worries me is the fact that we are fishing out our wild stocks, and, of course, most people wish to consume salmon and tuna and trout, all of which are on the top of the food chain--the highest trophic (feeding) level.

It worries me to see customers in a grocery store, ogling over salmon, when there are so many other, environmentally better fish species to be consumed. Captive salmon create their own problems such as antibiotics loose in the ocean near the floating pens, let alone the dissolving artificial food and fish waste. But most, the escape of domesticated varieties of salmon into the wild populations. Pond raised fish are isolated and do not create such problems. In general then, we must all be aware of the trophic levels from which WE feed as well!

Friend or Foe: The Red Cedar opus 282

Fifty years ago, the moderately scarce Red Cedar
Was often sought out for a Christmas tree on the landscape.
Now, with the Climate Crisis and drought in the Midwest,
Red Cedar are spreading and covering the landscape,
Out competing other plants in water efficiency.
This phenomenon, of course, increases fire incidents
As well as transpiring millions of gallons of much needed water.
Do we choose control burns to prevent fire?
Or to mass cut or chain drag populated treed areas--
Resulting in mass destruction to wipe out one renegade species?

Is this at all analogous to Israel's quandry
Of eliminating masses of innocent population, in order
To ferret out the fewer Hamas, who challenge Israel's existence?
Control of nature seems to often mirror the conundrums
Challenging human population's welfare.

The World's Panama Canal opus 283

The Panama Canal, like the Suez Canal,
Is critical for economizing world shipping,
Resulting from the hard-won excavation of miles of terrain.
Today, though, with so many actual and pending earth changes,
Drought is challenging the Canal's water levels,
Reducing the daily number and size of ships passing through.
Unknown to many, the Canal's water is not sea-, but fresh--
There are several springs in the local lakes providing such
And these water bodies are manifesting lowering levels.
These lakes also provide water
For several million inhabitants of Panama.
Once again, as will occur multiple times over,
Water for agriculture vs the cities
And at the Canal, water for transport vs the same,
Will be in constant competition to provide the growing demands
For food production, transport, and the ever increasing humankind.

The Tipping Point opus 284

To date, almost 26,000 dead, 60,000 plus wounded--
When does self defence become murder?
(South Africa is now asking in the World Court.)
A terrible conundrum for Israel.
A country--now nation?--created by depopulation of others,
And now, as always, is surrounded by hatred--
A delayed disruption by 2000 years.

Our own William Penn 'invaded' the now Pennsylvania area,
Through peaceful, bargained discussion
And not, as occurred elsewhere, with violent encounter.
Would Israel's present situation have been altered,
If their 'invasion' had been more similar
To the former 'invasion' of Penn?

Stirring up CO2 opus 285

A report just coming out states that bottom trawling
Is releasing CO2 from the substrate,
By stirring up, as well as , destroying such.
The results may show that this method of fishing
Is doubling the released once estimated CO2,
Relating to the whole world-wide fishing fleet.
There have been many former voices
Decrying the destruction of the seabed,
When not even considering the CO2 problem!

As with many human processes,
The Climate Crisis may force us
To reevaluate and then modify procedures,
Creating more favorable results
For both humans and our planet.

Damming the Damning opus 286

I lived with an African Gray parrot for several years
And was witness to its incredible ability to imitate.
The Lincolnshire Wildlife Park in England has had to isolate parrots
Which, within public earshot, started imitating risqué vocabulary.
The decision was eventually made to remove these individuals
Back to the major flock, where it was anticipated,
That the eight offenders would again utter
'Normal' African Gray vocalizations--
Amusing, if the vocabulary had switched in the reverse order!

Another tale I have heard involved a murder case.
The Gray had witnessed the killing of its human companion ('owner').
It imitated the voice and words spoken during the murder.
The prosecution attempted to use the parrot as a witness,
But because the parrot 'was an animal',
The judge overruled the employment of the bird to nail the murderer!

Of course you have heard of groups attempting
To classify chimpanzees as sentient beings,
Who would be treated on a human level.
Perhaps someday, African Gray parrots
Might be included within the human domain!
(Chimps still are also on the waiting list.)

Why has English Lost 'Thou'? opus 287

In a younger time during High School and Antioch College courses,
I always thoroughly enjoyed my studies of Shakespeare's works.
Also, then, I became very aware of older English.
'Why hast Thou not taken Thy shoes to the cobbler Thineself?
To Thee I do ask.' (I just constructed this example.)
In the 1600's, for instance, 'You' was used conventionally for the upper class.
Quakers resisted, using only 'Thou' for singular and 'You' for the plural,
Resulting in many arrests, because of their insulting disrespect.
The story goes that William Penn, being a Quaker, founded Pennsylvania,
As a refuge in the New World, where their practice could continue.
Being a Quaker, Penn also founded Pennsylvania with no bloodshed--
Just agreements with the native people.
(If only Israel and other new territorial establishments
Could have been founded on that same model!)

By the time of the Civil War, 'Thou', except for the Quakers, was rare,
Especially in the new America, where most were more egalitarian,
And 'You' was commonly used for everyone.
Indeed, 'Thou' became most unpopular, also in England.
The disappearance in England was widespread, occurring region by region.
However, even today in Yorkshire, 'Tha' ('Thou') is still heard.
So the use of 'Thou' suggested that the speaker was superior,
And the listener was of lower or inferior class.

Today, for one, the use of 'Thou'/''Thee'/'Thy' seems to be honorific,
The misunderstanding being that the use of archaic language,
Elevates 'regular' speech, making it more formal!
These examples are found in legal, scientific, and academic contexts;
Also one encounters archaic language in historical liturgy.
If a servant girl addresses a superior male as 'Thou',
It is not because she is disrespectful, but rather,
Because he is an older male, and is of a higher class.

Another point is that English is losing its grammatical case and morphology,
Resulting in less formal linguistic intercourse.
(Perhaps I should stop with 'intercourse',
But all know what that actually means!) Continuing!
Perhaps people became infatuated with royalty,
And 'Thou' was too informal and fell out of use.
'You' also conferred formality and might compliment an unknown listener?
Eventually this might have just become the more formal version.
The use of 'You' might have one also attempting
To avoid making a 'mistake' with the listener.
Perhaps, too, with verb economy in mind,
By using 'Thou', the verb conjugation had to end with 'ST':
'Why doeST Thou? Thou shouldST speak properly!
Other languages did not have this 'problem'.

Today, we hear 'You All' and 'Yous', when addressing a group,
So 'You' switches to the singular and 'You All' is unmistakably plural.
If Nora, my late wife, a linguist, could read this, written by a biologist,
She would either just plain cringe, or be amazed and offer a soft compliment!
In conclusion, I remain reminiscent for somehow using 'Thou',
Because it gives a softness and sense of intimacy to our speech,
And without 'Thou', English has lost one wonderful means of expression.

Where does Prejudice End? opus 288

I have held this in for many decades.

I was raised a progressive Protestant
(I am now, as you may have read, a Humanist),
In Newton Massachusetts as a Congregationalist,
A church resulting from the competition with the Prebyterians
Where the 'Congregation' regulates and governs itself.
I rang the huge church bell for services (now automated!);
I led the young people's group to reach out to others--
We shared meetings with both Catholics and Jews.
(I now realize that Muslims were not at all present then in my life.)
I was a tolerant, open-minded young person.

I played music (see previous poems) in school orchestras
And met many other young musicians.
I was in a jazz band led by a Catholic trumpet player.
Because of his 'loudness' (like Mozart who detested the trumpet),
I moved to another trio with a Jewish leader.
When the trumpet player asked, "Why did you go to 'that group'?",
I answered, "Because they are better musicians."
I was open and accepting of people who came into my life.

In High School, I became good friends
With Eddy Fineberg, a French Horn player.
I had a 'tour' with him through his kitchen,
Where he explained that if I ever came to dinner,
(to which, I was never invited),
I could not eat off his 'Kosher cutlery'.
Later, when I was talking with his intellectual sister,
His mother cleared everyone out and began to admonish me
That I was not to interact with her daughter again,
Because my 'people' (ancestors) had ravaged Jerusalem
And contributed to the Jewish downfall--
I was personally thunderstruck and devastated.
On the one hand, I understand just what was going on,
But on the other, as a young person, it was difficult
To bear the pain and the feeling of near betrayal.

Fifty years later while chatting at a High School reunion,
Another fellow student said he had gone through the same situation.

I have lived knowing an Armenian High School girlfriend,
The people of whom had suffered in their own genocide.
My first playmate was a black first grader, in an all-white school--
His name I even remember--Billy Meritt.
I have lived with Blacks where I taught in Southern Africa.
I have taught with the last of the Constantinople Greeks in Turkey.
I have worked in the Civil Rights Movement.
I have also realized that ALL groups have their prejudices.
In that light I try always to remain open.
I have realized too, that some groups
Get more 'publicity' than so many others.

We should all feel the guilt for our subconscious dislikes
And realize that every group, with very few exceptions,
No matter what seems evident,
Has just as many prejudices as any other.
I believe this is why our beautiful blue planet
Is so very divided (with its human populations) amongst itself.

Our Elders. To the Young Ones Around Me opus 289

An aware elder has been around for a long while,
And, being aware, most likely has acquired a good deal of knowledge.
If an elder conveys some observation or thought to one, younger,
A good path for the young one to follow is listen, thank, then contemplate,
And act, if it seems appropriate to heed those words.
Politely, take it or not, after some thought,
But do maintain the elder in your circle of knowledge sources;
Never break the tie nor be angry, annoyed, or abusive in word or thought,
For there just might be the occasion when that elder's words,
Will be invaluable in your successful progress forward--
No cost. No obligation!

Yet Another Biological Team opus 290

Because of our ravaging, 'convenient' technology,
Our planet is warming faster than any past 'naturally' documented process.
As a result, oceans are rising and, by the way, are becoming more acidic.
Long before large human invasions, most predator/prey duos were stable.
Then came the Russians, French and others as fur trappers.
The Sea Otter was one victim because of its lush fur.
This species, now threatened, no longer has the numbers
To control the Asian Striped Shore Crab which burrows in the creekbank edges,
Which weakens the soil, causing whole chunks of marsh to calve off.
Specifically, the Elkhorn Slough, a coastal wetland,
Connected to the Monterey Bay area, once lost all its Sea Otters.
But now, with their return, they are ravagingly consuming the crabs,
Resulting in stronger marshland soundness and reduced erosion.
The otter's recolonization controls the crab population
And strengthens our shoreline to battle with the new impending threat.

As a footnote: Sea Otters control sea urchins, which destroy the kelp beds.
Concerning top predators, reintroduced wolves into YellowStone National Park
Are controlling elk and moose populations which consume tree saplings,
Thus alleviating the erosion-effect along riverbanks.

Each time we inadvertently destroy another creature,
We are weakening our own existence.

A Twenty-first Century Human Dilemma opus 291

For good or evil / better or worse, Israel was created by force,
Aided by Britain, the United States of America, and the UN.
We all know the reasons why this act was performed.
We (the USA), especially, pledged to be a steadfast ally at all cost.
We have also weekly, financially supported this new country,
Which also is, of course, a legitimate sovereign nation.

Today, our octogenarian president, having lived during
That pioneer period and well aware of our former pacts,
Strongly stood by Israel, because of our original treaty and promises.
But the world has changed and by oblitering so many Gazan civilians,
While defending itself against the aggressing political organization,
It has created an enigma as to the best approach to warfare.
By backing Israel's blitz, Biden has been condemned
Because of 'backing' so many deaths.
How to rectify this nightmarish situation will be temporarily solved,
But the only final and needed conclusion is a Two State Solution,
Where the Palestinian people will at last, once again, govern themselves.

My only futuristic thought is, would it be best
To exchange territory so that the Nation of Palestine
Will control a single area, creating a more manageable nation-state?
Causing a great catastrophe, Pakistan was carved
Out of the Indian territory, both east and west portions.

Of course, other such human 'experiments' were artificially formed
To appease religious, historical, ethnic, or political tensions.
The planet is basically 'neutral': the complication and conflict
Are its human overlords!

The Synergy of Human Girls and Their Dogs opus 292

It has been documented that as girls age,
Their physical movements decrease
When compared with that of young boys.
When a girl lives with a dog,
Her movements are faster and more intense.
When a dog dies, a girl's activities once again decrease.
The conclusion, at the moment, appears to be
That a girl, companioned with a dog,
May manifest greater activity and health.
Of course, we must again remember our coevolution with dogs
And this data perhaps increases
The empirical importance of our millennial relationship
With this once ancestral and wild canid, the wolf.

My Haplogroup G on the Y Chromosome opus 293

DNA family ancestry became popular in the '80's and '90's.
I was very intrigued and sent in my saliva sample
To the 'pioneer' National Geographic laboratory, now gone,
Which yielded to '23 and Me' and other commercial groups.
My mother's X results showed my European and Scottish/Viking side,
While my father's Y yielded an exciting, unexpected history.
Instead of depicting a European story,
My Y chromosome showed a haplogroup G,
Found in the Turkiye, Armenia, Iraq, and Iran area--
The Fertile Crescent, origin of agriculture from 9 thousand years ago!
The haplogroup G was basically rare in Europe which demonstrated
That the practice of agriculture was not spread through warfare and plundering,
But rather through more gentle, cultural exchange.
Having applied to be a Pacifist, Non-combatant in 1966,
I was pleased that my biological background
Led me to a farming existence in Davis, California, my now home.
My maternal grandfather and Bill, his son, were also farmers.
It just took me 40 years to recapitulate my genetic beginnings!

Fashion vs Function opus 294

In 1978, when I returned to my country after nine years away:
Teaching abroad--Turkiye, Africa, and Sweden.
My mother found a 37 acre property in Davis, California.
The original house was situated in a north-south orientation.
She wished to add on for her own personal abode,
So we discussed, by letter, the position of the attached new home.
The orientation, of course, was a right angle--east-west position,
That was to catch the rays of the sun!

Upon my arrival, Mother hired a contractor and commenced the building.
I stayed out of the further design and construction--
Her temperament was such that one did not interfere.

My mother has now passed and I live in her former abode.
All has been well, except for some of the house design.
The tiny, unrealistic solar box has been relegated, obsolete.
The magnificent timbers, supporting the beamed ceilings
Protrude out of the roof, emulating the ribs of a large dinosaur.
All was well, until the huge climate change storms began to emerge.
The 'ribs' had conducted intense rainstorm flows into the house!
Three buckets are now engaged with each storm
To prevent the flowing drips, moistening the contents within!
The moral of this is, which even Frank Lloyd Wright might have learned,
(A few of his designs are documented as having difficulties),
Flaunting architecture could be redesigned to render a humbler display.
(Consider the huge cumbersome tail of the Peacock to attract females
Against the overwhelming 'non dimensional' vocalizations of the Nightingale.)

The Abortion Argument opus 295

Because of the power of European governmental religious groups,
Our Constitution made it clear that religion and government were separate.
Along with that, religious freedom was guaranteed for the new citizens.

Today the picture is changing with religion encroaching evermore into our government.
A major division division is the abortion argument.
One side argues that the future unborn 'child' must never be aborted,
While the other pleads that the future mother has rights over her own body and health.
Is there any way there might be a compromise between these opposing views
Both, living in this country and nation, following our Constitution?

Perhaps, if these groups agree that they should follow our law of the Land,
Then either side, having the right to freedom of individual expression,
Must live freely together, interacting in peace
And use only the logic of their beliefs to persuade the other
That all must compromise, thus acting justly under the original law.

1. We have the separation of religion and government.
2. We have freedom of religion.
3. We have freedom of speech.

If these were followed, could our nation not evolve peaceably
Towards a synergy of mutual coexistence,
As the Founders had originally intended?

Nikki: A Benevolent One or a Potential Dictatress? opus 296

Nikki Haley is wondrously standing up to Trump,
Even though she forwarns, as he,
Of repressive potential laws to curb women's freedoms, etc.
It is said she met her potential husband, William Michael Haley,
Declared he did not look like a Bill (nickname for William),
And to this day, he was then, and is now, (her name),
Michael!
Should we admire a woman who 'officially' renames her husband,
Or should we fear that she, if coming into power,
Would also be a dictatress 'for a day'?

The Egyptian Vulture opus 297

My first university teaching job was in Turkiye (then Turkey).
At Robert College (now Bogazici Universitesi) in Bebek,
On the Bosphorus, north of Istanbul.
The Science Building was quite new and my classes were on the first floor.
I had a laboratory of my own in the 'attic'.
There was a large enclosed, depressed area
Along the whole building on the south side.
During my entire life, even now at 82 in Davis, California,
I have always lived with and studied tortoises.
In Turkiye I worked with two species of Testudo--
T, graeca and T. hermani, observing them in the large depression.
Specifically, my studies included electrophoresis of blood types,
As well as diurnal behavioural movements of the two species.
To be terse, T. hermani's activities began earlier and lasted longer
Than those of its sympatric fellow species, T. graeca.
Thus, their daily movements divided their feeding times, reducing competition!
The appearance of the two is fairly similar.

I collected specimens both on the European
And on the eastern Anatolian territories.
As I moved through the wilder area of Anatolia,
I noticed that a number of the tortoise carapaces (upper shell),
Had large, healed cracks across much of the curved surfaces.
Upon queries and studying, I learned the cause was the Egyptian Vulture.
Tortoise flesh was one of their sources of protein.
I never actually saw this occurring, but the evidence was plentiful;
The vulture simply found a tortoise, flew up in the air,
Grasping the reptile's body with its talons and dropping it from a height
Which, perhaps after several attempts, cracked the shell enough
That the bird could pry it open and consume the protected body!
(In Africa, this vulture would 'fling' rocks with its beak
At ostrich eggs to break them open.)

I began to wonder what phenomenon
Caused the weaker, curved carapace to be cracked
And not the flat plastron, covering the tortoise underside.
North of Bebek, Ahmet the Conqueror had constructed the Rumeli Hisar
From which, paired with a fortress on the eastern side of the Bosphorus,
He could control, using cannons, the movements on the waterway.
(From here he later moved his boats on rollers over the hill,
Ending inside the protected, chained Golden Horn of old Constantinople,
Surprised the Greeks, and conquered the city!)
At any rate, I used that Hisar (fortress) with my students,
To drop preserved, dead tortoise bodies from the high parapets,
Observing how they would fall and land,
Imitating the hunting behaviour of the Egyptian Vulture.
As suspected, the aerodynamics of the curved carapace
Caused the tortoise body to rotate in the air and collide with the ground,
Making vulnerable, the weaker upper tortoise carapace.
From this experience and from so many more,
Turkiye taught me abundantly the enigmas of life.

Intraspecific Conflict opus 298

Charles Darwin in his 'On the Origin of Species' (1859),
Observed that speciation and subspeciation result from geographic isolation.
All organisms on earth appear to follow this hypothesis.
Of course this mainly pertains to adaptation to a varying environment
And reduction of competition for food and needed territory.
With humans, we have varied superficial morphology,
Resulting in varying skin color, nose shape, eye color, height, etc.
But humans, more than other species, have culture and religion,
Which results, to the human mind, in a huge differentiation of the 'other'.
As a result, the human intraspecific or population competition
And conflict forms a new dimension,
Compared to other specific life on our planet.
Evaluating these differences, humans have a more complex level
Of Darwin's concept of isolation and adaptation to a new environment.
Culture, ideology, and religion result in greater potential 'intraspecific' conflict,
Which we are all observing and living through every single day!
With humans, geographic isolation seems not to reduce competition,
But because of other factors mentioned, may increase that population conflict.
Might our wonderful minds actually lead us to our own
Potentially peaceable intraspecific downfall?

1066 AD opus 299

After extensive travail, I discovered my ancestry
Trailed back to William the Conqueror, 8th Duke of Normandy.
As we sort of learned from the smutty comic scene in Henry the Fifth,
The conquest introduced, over several centuries,
French into England's Anglo-Saxon verbiage.
There are a myriad of examples, but one I love is our 'in lieu of ',
Which in English means 'in place of '.
'Lieu' in French, of course, also means literally 'place'.
I find it fascinating that this word jumped literally
From one language to another.
The 'nuance!', however, shifted from 'someone acting in place of another'
To the evolved meaning of 'one thing done or provided instead of another'.
Also the introductory moment was in the 15th century and not 1066.
But my fantasy of 1066 was not shattered.

After 1066, English was open to accepting Anglo-French vocabulary,
With numerous examples welling up, especially in the 14th and 15th centuries:
Fatherly became paternal, brotherly became fraternal,
Of course motherly became maternal,
But somehow sisterly did not even exist until the late 1500's,
Not to mention a competing French form.
Eventually soral appeared, but sisterly maintained its prevalence.
As we know, sorority is used from the Latin root, soror, meaning 'sister'.
The transfer of a word from one language to another
Is often because of the fancy of the speakers.
In spite of it all, 'lieu' appears to have sounded sexier (?) than 'place'--
Sort of emphasizing words, originally shadowing from 1066.

A Delayed Tale opus 300

Well, I waited for over an hour for my 1:40 PM appointment yesterday,
With my dear oncologist of the last 17 years, Dr. Alali.
When I first met him, for our appointment after I began to mend,
I suddenly blurted out, "You have a third, middle incisor!"
He was originally from Iran and I, having lived in Turkiye,
Had a great deal of cultural overlap with this gentle man.
He reacted appropriately, with soft surprise that I had noticed such a thing.
I explained I was a biologist and that I observed a full gamut of phenomena.
Over the years, we have had many wonderful 'extra medical' discussions.

Now, continuing--Dr. Alali, very late, finally arrived, being the only oncologist on duty.
(I offered to voice a complaint to the administration,
But he answered that things were being rectified.)
Towards the conclusion of our chat and a little examination,
Dr. Alali recollected what he had seen 17 years ago while passing,

As I was lying in the exam room with my then new assistant oncologist.
He told me that he saw a very sick man and he figured in his head,
"That man has six months to live".
I never knew this and it took a moment to comprehend just what that implied!
We smiled together and Alali added that I now looked--cancer-wise--just great.
He said, "I don't always get the timeline correct and when asked,
Must qualify my answer by saying so."
Well, it was profound, especially not knowing his thoughts previously.
I left the room, not really too phased, having gone through so much in my life,
From flying through snowstorms, walking through the Kalahari Desert,
And having been, nearly fatally, attacked twice by very large African elephants!
At any rate, I have 'been given' many extra years--
All the more reason, I wish to give back as much as I am able.

A Surprise Visit! opus 301

My feeder awaits its visitors.
I, being a voyeur, await as well.
So many White-crowned Sparrows this year!
Where are the Golden-crowns?
I continue to wait and write by the window.
Suddenly two smaller strangers
Arrive for a second, grab a few seeds,
Then quickly flit off to the hedge.
Contemplating my bird ID repertoire,
I just indeed had two Yellow Warbler visitors--
Such a treat for an ornithologist--
Well, at least for a bird watcher.

Alexei Navalny opus 302

Such a waste of an incredible mind.
Such a devotion to freedom and democracy.
Such patriotism for a lost cause country.
What could have been obtained, if he were in charge?
A country with such a past
Of tragedy, drama, color, and history.
Oh, Russia, what have you lost
By your leaders murdering such a being?
We will never know,
But there is always anticipation
That such a miracle might ever occur again.

Eleven Primaries Allow Flight opus 303

For many decades I have taught children (and some adults)
That the first flight feathers (primaries) on the wing of a bird
Number eleven in most birds, with another eleven or so,
Comprising the secondaries on the rear of the wing.
Could there be a tertiary? Yes, rarely, but they exist.
The Mandarin Duck of Asia has such a feather
Poking up towards the rear of the wing!
Our Wood Duck, the only member of the genus, Aix,
And 'cousin' to the Mandarin, is devoid of this extra ornament.

Studies of dinosaurs and the phenomenon of flight
Has been studied by paleontologists,
And nine to eleven feathers appear crucial for flight,
Enabling those later dinosaurs which evolved to birds.
The full story is more complex, but there is no doubt
That some dinosaurs really were able to fly.
So, as you observe a bird flying past you,
Take a moment to pause and realize the special sight before you,
Which binds our present time with the wondrous history
Of the ever-evolving life on our Blue Planet.

A Payback for being Abused? opus 304

The greater and the lesser of us
Are positioned ever-more the same,
By that Great Equalizer--
The increasingly disciplinary weather.

Are White Camembert and Brie Doomed to Extinction? opus 305

The power and strength and endurance of life on our planet
Is due to adaptation, thus survival, to ever-changing conditions on earth.
The antithesis of this is the desire of humans for standardization--
Sameness and comfort to continual and 'familiar' known entities.
Biologically, this leads, of course, to ever-weakening biological systems,
Which Homo sapiens are managing and controlling for their own pleasure.
How is this at all germane to our cheeses?
Well, we are facing a collapse of microbial diversity.
We have been relying on a single fragile strain of fungi
Which is now at a risk of dying out of existence on our planet.
To create our cheeses, Penicillium biforme has been chosen
To yield the desired colors, flavors, and aroma which the populus desires.
Now P. camemberti, a developed strain, considered a 'species',
Cannot reproduce, and must be continually created
By ever-more difficult cloning methods.
Along the way, other strains of mold have vanished from disuse.
The desired fluffy white mold, which grows quickly,
Has reached a condition which is locked in and not now found in the wild!
With variations of P. camemberti being completely stifled,
There has been an increase of harmful mutational errors in its genome.

Other cheeses, for the same reasons, are not out of danger--
A couple are Gorgonzola and Roquefort.
The single variety of cloned bananas, with an effective pest,
Could be completely decimated.
Variations of wheat strains are vital for survival, now facing the Climate Crisis.
Finally, if diversity within a species is lost, adaptability is lost.
With this in mind, we humans must revel in the pending enjoyment
Of the future variety of slight changes in color, aroma, and flavor!

Our Holy Land opus 306

One side, still consuming food blessed by the priest,
While the other is now ingesting grasses and animal feed.
Dear people, what have you done to each other?
From the first invasion in '48
To the continual rebellions of discontent;
Why must all this pass amongst you?
Is there no way to at least somehow coexist?
Why must you both practice necropolitics--
Holding the bodies of each to bargain,
Knowing that you each must bury the dead the same day!
Can the claims of belief not be modified,
To reach a softer dogmatic tolerance
And perhaps a more realistic and democratic governance?

The former horror borne by one group is now transformed,
By attempting to right things, into a horror of both.

If human history could be redone, how might you rewrite such?

Some General 'Rules' to Ponder. (Written With B. Franklin in Mind.) opus 307

A large monoculture is a dangerous thing.

Tolerance ultimately leads to peace.

Trial and error in biological systems
leads to continual, ultimate successes.

Following only one philosophy
can lead to the loss of unknown experience.

One must always be aware
of the limitations of the living system.

Happiness is not contentment
and joy cannot be continually experienced.

Restricted standards in biology
can often destroy the required variation for survival.

With only one, DNA based system of earthly life,
how could there ever be one ultimately 'special' life?

Humanism is the understanding and reverence for all life,
without an interfering supreme being.

By destroying your environment,
you are destroying yourself.

Without sex, life would be just a bunch of independent clones.

Without religion, early rulers could not
have well-controlled large groups of 'subjects'.
Perhaps such is still the same today?

A moderated, ritualized competition 'for the girl',
Might lead to a safer conclusion, as with many other life forms,
just as a good parasite should never kill its host.

No matter under what circumstances--
testerone, belief, and a resulting conflict
always lead to human tragedy.

Throughout the universe,
water may be the ultimate limiting factor.

Liquid, steam, and ice are the three forms of water.
How fortunate for many earthly forms of life
that the solid state is less dense than the liquid!

For every action, there is a reaction;
that includes chemistry, physics, and human emotion!

Without language, human emotion
would be expressed without a rainbow.

If heat did not rise, our first modes of flight
would have been impossible.

Without evolution, most niches for life
would have been unutilized.

What Are We Governing? opus 308

Sadly, it has now come to the point,
Where one governor, out of spite, busses immigrants
Arriving to his (and it is 'his') state, to a fellow governor's state
With no discussion, warning, nor planning together.
Political differences of old, have now mutated to plain dislike
And this dislike is making us numb with inaction--so far!
This inaction is exasperating the ever-increasing and required action
To, together, quell the greater crisis of planetary temperature increase,
Looming on the horizon of our children's lives, throughout the entire nation.
Can we not, please, work together?

The New Palestinian Nation--A Proposal opus 309

Is it a good idea--wise--to create a new Palestinian Nation,
Divided between two territories--Gaza and the West Bank?
I am suggesting that the two areas be combined to one,
Total acreage would be the same, but a question--
To which general area would the combined Nation be established?
My thought, without profound research, is possibly that
The West Bank area should be 'transferred' to Gaza
So that Palestine would border Egypt, having a substantial seacoast.
This would cause a great uprooting of the established Israeli population,
But Israel did cause the centuries-old uprooting of the Palestinian people in '48.
This would establish a strong nation, having a connection with the world.
One way or another, this potential challenge could be faced.
So much was formerly taken from the Palestians
And if the Jews could have carved out a new Israel-Nation,
The Palestinians might be given the equivalent for THEIR new nation.

Oh, Dear Southern Alabama opus 310

Our Southern states maintain their infectious friendly cuisine and manners.
Sadly, they hold onto 19th century-thinking concerning several subjects.
Specifically, here, is the question, when is a human, really a human?
The Alabama Supreme Court has now ruled
That a frozen embryo (a fertilized egg) is a child!
Since when could we ever freeze a child?
Since when is a frozen, unattached embryo, (an 'extra uterine child'),
And not within a female uterus, ever be considered a human child?
One of the repercussions, of course, is that 'childless parents'
May no longer be enabled to have a child!
Blind religious edicts lead to human tragedy,
When juxtaposed with the present, technological world.

Science has been developed to yield a life more 'disease free',
As well as a life with reduced mindless toil.
Here, science has allowed human couples, unable to conceive,
To be able to have a possible and healthy pregnancy.
This certainly is a clash of modern technology and continual archaic thinking.

A True Philosopher opus 311

One can best be a true philosopher
Only at the conclusion of one's life
When there is sufficient material
To vent the truth.

Invaders, Conquerors, and 'Gentle' Expansionists opus 312

Introduction: I was born in and have travelled through or lived in
Many areas of the world where aggression was used to occupy.
Areas are taken over by another, generally,
Because of politics, history, religion, or for natural resources.
The means and methods of these conquests
Will usually determine the ultimate outcome.
These are the basic thoughts I have when I ponder this human trait.

Now, we are living through the present Gaza-Israeli War
With all its complications to sort out for proper comprehension.
Going back to historical examples, we have the Gauls,
Gengis Kong, and Alexander, among others,
Who basically invaded and conquered outright,
Often leaving military to continually oversee the vanquished population.
The Romans had a different approach: they conquered, then offered citizenship--
'Join the military, serve Rome, and retire with rank and property.'
This method of conquest incorporated the losers into the system, with all its benefits.
William Penn, a Quaker, 'created' Pennsylvania by negotiation, bargaining,
And thus demonstrated that two 'opposing' groups could actually survive together.

Then, there is the other side of the coin, those using blatant invasion and force alone.
A tiny example is the Scottish attempt (1695) to create a trading post in Darien, (Panama).
Today, we hear of the dense, miles-long jungle through which migrants now must encounter.
The Scots lasted a few years, politically alone, with no backup
From possible forces (England, Germany, Netherlands),
Which could have aided a forceful establishment in Darien--
The native people felt threatened and thus destroyed the whole project.
A second attempt was finalized with an attack by the Spanish!
Another--England desired a foothold in Ireland and carved out Northern Ireland;
The brutal takeover was so severe, augmented with tremendous religious difference
That only hundreds of years later was the continual smoldering hatred softened.

No group can knowingly take over another, to be occupied territory,
Without expecting violence and continual hatred, unless there is
Gentle and negotiated preparation for a population's entry.
Israel, where I have lived for a while is today manifesting
The horror of rebellion, because of a lack of proper planning.
With only a surrogate US/British/UN force for backing,
The State was created by placing the 'conquered' population
Into segregated camps, where they just simply languished.
(I remember my grade school weekly newsreels clearly depicting these scenes.)
By not properly preparing the existing population and surrounding Muslim countries,
It was only inevitable that continual hatred and violence would endure.
Demanding, for good reason perhaps, a one-religion state,
Plunked into the middle of an 'adversary' religious milieu,
Could one have not, without good introductory 'PR', expected anything else?
(While touring around Jerusalem (1970's) with a fellow professor,
He showed me many neighborhoods, explaining that it was his opinion
That the black segregated Jews in ghettos, the division of
Orthodox and Reformed Jews, and the Arab-Israelis with lesser status,
Juxtaposed with the arrogance of the European Jews
Towards those other non-European believers of the same faith,
All, he felt, would be the possible internal reasons
Why Israel might fail as an experiment.)

Religion-wise, look at the cleverness of the ever-spreading Catholic Church.
They 'conquered' (sometimes with an army) many areas
With their brand of a pathway to god,
But as they infiltrated, they merely renamed the native religious ceremonies,
Saying that they were basically the same (as they might have been!),
But the acceptance of the new names would include those conquered
In the greater power now available to them with this new religion.
To remain a conqueror with unwavering, complete purist dogma, often leads to downfall--
A successful conquering group must always compromise in order to reign,
Even if it results in a new reality for both groups--the conquered and the conquerors.

Our Marijuana Dogs opus 313

As most states did, Ohio declared the use of marijuana illegal.
As most states did, they trained police dogs to sniff out the stuff.
As many states have, recreational marijuana use is now legal.
What to do with these steno-olfactory, well trained dogs?
The attempt to retrain these dogs with a very exaggerated specific sense,
Proved to be too difficult--were they too habituated like their human counterparts?
At any rate, the only fate for these dogs is complete retirement,
Just as we retire our protective military and police dogs.
Thankfully, there are human activists who attempt to maintain
A just end for the lives of these canine coworkers (do they have a choice?).
Yet another example of the ever-closer coevolution of humans
With our wolf-descendent-dog companions.

Why Do We Have a Leap Year? opus 314

Why do we have a Leap Year every four years?
The Romans in 45 BC had this figured out!
(Julius Caesar borrowed this idea from the Egyptians.)
They realized that to maintain the calendar (Julian),
In sync with the rotation of the planet,
They needed an extra day every fourth year! --
A perfect year is actually, more accurately, 365.242190 days.
Thus the added day in February every fourth year.
But, Caesar overestimated the solar year by about eleven minutes,
Leading to an overcorrection by about eight days each millenium.
Pope Gregory XIII later addressed this by adding leap days in years divided by four,
UNLESS the year is ALSO divisible by 100. Fine tuning further,
A leap day is STILL ADDED in years divisible by 400!

So you now know perhaps more clearly than most other citizens,
The precise formula as to how the calendar maintains winter in winter!

Green-dyed Food! opus 315

To dye food green in America is fun, but for an Irish person,
If heesh knows hiser history, it can be a shocking experience.
During the Irish potato famine of the 1840s, about one million Irish
Died in the span of six years, having no food.
These people were so deprived of food, they resorted to eating grass,
Which colored their mouths green as they died!
Thus an Irish person first confronting green-dyed food in the 'New World',
Is jolted into a recollection of the harsh reality of Irish history.

Another Irish nonhistorical fact is corned beef, consumed on St. Patrick's Day.
The Irish valued a cow for milk, not for meat,
So meat for such a person meant not beef, but pork!
When the English conquered Ireland, corned beef was added to the cuisine,
But it was not until the Irish arrived in America
That they learned to love corned beef, picked up
From their Jewish neighbors in the New York City melting pot!

Wish to have a More Exact Calendar? opus 316

Many people have wished to have a more permanent calendar,
Where the dates would be on the same day, forever!
Holiday dates and scheduling problems
Would be fixed in an organized manner.
Christmas and New Year's Day would always be on a Monday,
While the Fourth of July would always be on a Thursday.
One feature would be having every six years,
A leap week, rather than a leap day.
The extra seven days would occur at the end of that December,
Which, as leap day attempts to do, would 'eliminate calendar drift'.
In addition, the year would be divided into four three-month quarters.
The first two months of each quarter would be comprised of 30 days,
While the third month of that quarter would have 31 days.
And again, it is claimed this would regularize things
To be easier and less costly.
The name of the calendar to accomplish all this
Is the Hanke-Henry Permanent Calendar.

In reality, though, our present-day calendar may be the one,
Into which we are locked.

Aging in the Darkness of Night opus 317

I awake in the center of the darkness of night--
Pondering on the tragedy of growing old and separate, juxtaposed
With my continual joy to be able to contemplate new accomplishments.
As I die and be no more, which will be in the majority of my thought?
Does it actually really matter in any way?
A living being has only one 'advantage',
And that is the ability to contemplate the past, the present, and the future,
So, it comes down to the illusions in that aging and slowly dying mind.

The Irish Stand for the Palestinians opus 318

The Irish people were conquered by England and were under its control.
This was finally remediated and Ireland is now a free nation-state.
When Israel was first formed in 1948 under the direction
Of the Palestinian area foreign secretary,
The brutal Arthur James Balfour,
Who also was chief secretary of Ireland before its freedom.
It was Balfour in 1917 who proposed a national home
In Palestine for the Jewish people.
Ronald Storres, governor of Jerusalem (1917-1926),
Wrote that if enough Jewish people moved to Palestine,
It could "form for England a 'little loyal Jewish Ulster'
In a sea of potentially hostile Arabism."
When the English settled in Northern Ireland,
It became known as the 'plantation of Ulster'.

Ireland sided with the new Israel
With all its challenges as a fellow underdog.
Of course Northern Ireland remained
As a constant reminder of English hegemony.
Israel began to secure more territory
And displaced more indigenous Palestinians.
Slowly, the Irish national sympathy shifted more
Towards the Palestinian dilemma and cause.
Today Ireland laments the horror of the 7 October Gaza attack,
But also questions the 'revenge' of the Israeli counter attacks.
Of the 5.3 million Irish citizens, there are only 2,700 Muslims,
But because of the similar history of conquest,
Irish sympathies towards the Palestinian plight
Is, at present, steadfast.

Indeed, the Irish do wish all those in Israel and Palestine
'That there's always hope and may your miracle
Come soon, as it did for us.'

Rationalizing Age opus 319

While chatting on the phone with my son, Pierre, today,
I mentioned my continual, 'gentle', consistent pain
In my somewhat unsuccessful hip replacement.
I told him that at 82, to endure this
'Inconvenience' with my ambulation,
I just rationalize, and tell myself quietly,--
'I am only pretending that I am simply old!'

Flying XI The Snowstorm opus 320

{It has been quite a while since I wrote my last 'Flying X'.
There have been many distracting world events to deter me!
These Poems and Thoughts were initiated to pass on some personal histories
For my two boys and any other family members who may be interested.
It has thus evolved, as well, to include commentary of all sorts,
But still remaining within the realm of my thoughts and concerns.}

While at Cornell as a graduate student, I flew small planes,
Having joined a University flying club.
To maintain some sanity during all the serious PhD studies,
Music in the Cornell orchestra and occasional flying here and there
Were the antidotes to clear my head from the challenging academic thinking.

After a few years of flying, I became quite proficient,
So I met more and more challenging weather situations.
In the winter of 1967(?) I was flying back to the Ithaca airport
When, suddenly the weather changed as it did often in northern New York.
Snow flurries from the Great Lakes spread across the area.
I had landed at an airport about half an hour flying time from Ithaca.
I called the control center and explained I needed to return to my home base.
(Probably the need was the result of a pending oral exam!)
After some discussion I convinced them I could fly on.
I had told them I knew all the highways leading to Ithaca
And that I would fly above the roads, following them to the airport.
Ok. I took off, flying at about 1000 feet, still maintaining a visual of the ground.
The snow was light, but thick around me.
I remember seeing the vehicles passing below me.
It was a sight I would never dismiss from my mind.
I did wonder, while above them, just what they thought of all this!
I followed the main highway west, turning left or south,
Then on to the anticipated runway ahead.
I believe I came down on runway 31 where I had learned to fly!
As I touched down and the wheels squealed in joy with the earth,
My heart was relieved, but in harmony with the joyful rubber below me.

Flying XII. Night Flying opus 321

During my flight training, I went through rigorous exercises
Teaching me the various emergencies while flying at night.
Considering all emergencies which might occur on the dark of night,
I was confronted with the possibility of the lighting system failing.
With no control panel lights, one cannot see the crucial landing speed.
As we landed, the side window was opened to hear the wind speed.
With that aid, coupled with the passing of the runway lights,
One gets pretty accurate judgement of speed so as not to stall.
The next test entails no landing lights, making the runway just black.
By judging the altitude using the runway lighting,
One simply inches down, losing altitude,
Until the wheels--if all goes well--ease softly onto the tarmac.

The next challenge was to land with neither one--no panel nor landing lights!
The pilot needs then to use runway lights, along with
Listening to the passing wind through the open window,
Continually creeping down to finally touching rubber to tarmac.
After some practice, this seemingly impossible task
Actually results in yet one more successful manoeuver
Which ultimately ticks off another skill towards a possible emergency survival.

Performing these exercises, one is truly living in a three-dimensional world!

To Lady Sultan opus 322

Dear Madam Sultan efendim1.
The first moment I saw you
And conversed with you while you worked,
You struck me as something I have seen before--
I spent many years in Turkiye2
And your ambiance of that place passed through me.
Your voice flowed into my ear
As the Bosphorus3 current flows by Asia.
Your deep colored eyes looked upon me
As the golden çay4 I so often imbibed
While negotiating in the shelter of many bazaars.
Your general morphology reminded me
Of the splendor of Uludağ5 of Bursa6.
And your radiating aura enveloped me
As the blue hava7 which covers my beloved East.

(Written during the moments of the Spring forward time change.)

1. efendim -- madam or sir.
2. Turkiye -- new name for Turkey.
3. Bosphorus -- strait through Istanbul area between Europe and Asia.
4. Çay -- tea.
5. Uludağ (soft 'g') -- mountain near Bursa.
6. Bursa -- city in Turkiye.
7. Hava -- sky or 'heaven'.

Lady Justice opus 323

Lady Justice stands before us, blindfolded,
And holding up her scales of Rightful Balance.
So, to give a verdict, how does she judge:

The taking of territory and killing to maintain a presence
Occurring, perhaps for the thousands of years of human history;

The raping of the other's women and girls to humiliate and anger;

To conquer in the name of a religion which is always 'right and true';

To initiate genocide to rid the undesirable other;

To maintain schools and centers of propaganda to influence minds;

To block commerce in order to starve the other into submission;

To threaten with deadly weapons to cause inaction of the 'rightful other';

And on to whatever action of injustice the human mind might concoct.

The Hidden Perils of 'New' Technology opus 324

As the Romans reveled in their new technology with lead,
So we 'moderns' revel in the wonders of morphologically plastic, plastics.
Lead poisoning for the ancients and micro- and nano-plastics for the moderns' lungs!
(By the way, lead--plumbum--Pb--gave us the name for plumbers!)
(Will we have a new handle for the ignorant plastic-killers?)
(Removing lead pipes is one thing, but plastics of any sort pervading the whole world?)
(If we could only pause and think about possible implications.)

Trapped by Age opus 325

When one is young, all things are possible:
To run, to dance, to explore, to attract, to make love.
As time passes, abilities are decreased, but in the mind,
Nothing changes--
The older one, still desires to run, to dance,
To explore, to attract, to make love.
The body's slower abilities, no matter how one tries,
Immures the bodily spirit
Towards that inevitable eternal freedom.

Hats Which Define Us opus 326

It struck me hard, to see Marjorie Taylor Greene,
Defiantly wearing the MAGA red hat in Congress,
Where traditionally, no one ever wore a hat,
Especially not with a logo portraying tension and challenge.

Head coverings, historically, have always manifested meaning--
Kafias, Yamakas, team caps, helmets, scarfs--
Even in the ancient past to define a new religious position.
Paul in First Corinthians (11:2-16),
To announce the new religion's identification,
That instead of a man covering his head to honor god,
And a woman, leaving her head uncovered to honor her man,
Paul wrote that a man should uncover his head to honor god,
And a woman should always cover her head to honor her man.

Head coverings, like T-shirts with logos,
Scream out a person's position in life.
Do not be complacent and let these messages pass by you--
The silent messages on headgear around us,
Mark philosophical territory,
Like the territory of a wolf is marked with his urine.

Floating Beauty opus 327

Suddenly a green irridescent head
Appears on a once empty, still pond.
The glowing color is paired
With a camouflaged, brown partner.
Watching patiently, a crested,
Magnificient head glides into the open.
This one is also accompanied
With a brown partner,
But, different, with large, light eye rings.

What has been revealed
Are a wonderful pair of Mallards,
Accompanied with perhaps
The most beautiful of all ducks,
A pair of our Wood Ducks in the genus Aix,
Related only to the alternatively
Incredible Mandarin of China!

A Deadline or the Ultimate End? opus 328

I was negotiating with a colleague in Wyoming
About various time constraints
In order to finalize a conservation agreement.
Certain deadlines were raised
That we might reach a successful result.
I finally stated that with my age
And the unknown, relatively soon, inevitable end,
I was not able to work with mundane deadlines any more,
But rather, the absolute deadline of my very being.
Every thought and action, with this mindset,
Makes all things precious and meaningful,
Concluding in the best, timely way that one is able.

The Deafening Silence of Quiet Snowfall opus 329

My son just sent me a few-second video from the mountains,
Where he is introducing my grandson to the snow!
The video was dark, but depicted the soft-falling flakes in the limited light.
I suddenly remembered my first skiing attempts
On our neighbor's Massachusetts backyard slopes.
I then remembered my trips with my two boys--separately--
Because of their different ages,
To the ski slopes of our neighboring Rockies in eastern California.
Thereafter, my thoughts went further back to my student days,
Where I taught as a teaching job in the Alps of Switzerland.
The school, The Ecole D'Humanite, was in Goldern, above Meiringen,
Above which was the Rosenlaui Gletcher (Glacier),
Where Sherlock Holmes was 'first murdered'.
One day it was announced the school would all use the Gondalbahn,
To be transported to the actual 'Alp', the highest elevation of the mountain.
From there, we would ski down, ending up in the school yard!
I remember it was overcast and gently snowing.
The powder was so very soft and glass-like.
Descending on the slope was effortless--almost as if one were levitating!
Stopping now and then--there was no speed competition--
I listened to the absolute silence of the falling flakes,
As they gently accumulated around me, muffled in their fall.
It was a chilling experience of so much surrounding activity,
Accompanied with absolutely no sound.
My Heart shudders at 82, 60 years later,
From having had the privilege of partaking
In such an incredible human experience with our beautiful Nature.

(Sadly, with the Climate Crisis, many areas of our planet
Will no longer have skiing, let alone even snow!)

Our relations with world events opus 330

Dear Arthur,
We have known each other, off and on, for many years.
When I was talking with you about insects in the diet,
You became flustered and suggested we only email each other.
(My research determines that at least grasshoppers are acceptable.)
I replied that I would not have such a relationship and we must wait.
We had a pause and then the Gaza crisis occured.
I am heartbroken that this is happening.
As a Jew, I am quite sure you constantly have lived a defensive life.
(You have told me several incidences of such in your life.)
I have therefore stopped communicating to lessen your anguish.
Whenever all this is resolved, we might continue.
I am sure my interpretation of history and events are different from yours--
You have already countered me on such.
No matter what our opinions or interpretations are,
You and I will not change any of the unfolding terrible events.
But, better, to argue or avoid the subject in silence--
Both would be painful and therefore silence is best at present.
There may come a time when this might change.
In the meantime, we must, each in our own way,
Simply suffer during this horrible man-made catastrophe.

Be as well as is possible.  Frank.

Musical Similarities Over the Centuries opus 331

As I have written, music has been a huge part of my life.
I was listening this morning to the music of Johann Sebastian Bach,
Celebrating his 31 March 1685 birthday, soon to come.
His winding, polyphonic, continuous musical-cadence sounds
Suddenly connected the musical sounds in my head
To other similar styles--at least for me--
Which have the same continuous flow, if seemingly different sound.
The first which comes to mind are Amish hymns,
Which I heard during a Sunday service in a midwestern,
Congregants segregated by sex, temporarily cleaned out barn.
Their singing took me back to the Khoisan (Bushman) people
Who sang for me one evening in the Kalahari with their profound magic.

Another important musical type for me is the beautiful
Continuous sounds of Scottish classical bagpipe pibroch style.
My mind then jumped to the similar continuous sounds
Of electronic music of my teenage years.
There are so many composers of our time with their own such style--
The 12-tone System of Arnold Schoenberg, for one.

All of these continuous styles from many centuries
Require attention and concentration to fully appreciate.
This is perhaps why our today's listeners are not capable of a full acceptance--
Our society now needs more and more instant gratification,
Which allows such music to be purposely ignored in our minds.
We need to play such music in our homes to our children,
So that such musical history is not lost to the common sounds of the masses,
And studied only by the esoteric musical scholars!

(Dear Readers--explore the genres presented here in a few minutes--not too fast,
And partake in beautiful musical styles which took me decades to discover!)

Memories Elicited from a Folded Sarong opus 332

Looking at a pile of folded cloth items,
I spied a sarong, purchased 45 years ago on my travels through Bali.
A batiked cotton, formed in the shape of a huge tube.
One slipped into this giant tube and with proper folding,
Reduced it down to a tight and snuggly fit around the waist.
Cool, comfortable, stylish men's apparel,
Sort of reminding me of the much shortened
Roman military toga worn by the soldiers of Caesar's time,
Or the Scottish Great Kilt, pleated while lying on the ground,
And, then by lying atop, the potential wearer folded it over the body,
Tied it with a line at the waist,
And stood to brush off the adhering bits of vegetation.

My modern kilts continually await my swinging them on to delight the onlookers!

Our Two Critical Compromises opus 333

In order to muster strength enough to counter British rule,
Conflicting opinions of the worth of African humans, transferred to the New World,
Were compromised in our Constitution in Article 1, section 2,
Valuing the 'voting population' worth of slaves.
This decision has plagued our nation to this day.

Additionally, in order to maintain the individual autonomy of each state,
Versus the need to create a strong, legitimate nation,
A balance had to be decided to allow the demands and will of both needs--State versus Federal.
For this nation, the two outcomes of these two compromises,
Has now and ever shall be the continual give and take,
Determining the ultimate outcome of this experiment in democracy,
Manifesting the final result in our human 'pursuit of happiness'.

(The Texas--Federal border conflict is a present-day example of such.)
(The Florida education laws are a present-day example of the former point.)

Why are Men Deciding These Things? opus 334

New abortion anti woman laws--
Politicians versus medical doctors.
What are we doing to ourselves?
To abandon good science
For antiquated religious myths?
In spite of all empirical edification,
We are returning to our reptilian brain.

Condemned to a Possible Death Sentence? opus 335

I was listening today to Public Radio featuring
A narrative about a woman who was
Wrongfully convicted unjustly to a death sentence
For a crime she did not commit.
After 17 years of solitary confinement,
And pro bono help from volunteer attorneys,
She was absolved of the crime and released
To a new world of a lost family and a totally new start.

I was also condemned to isolation and possible death,
While I was living in Turkiye on my new teaching job.
Suddenly, I was coughing up blood and feeling very weak.
I had been travelling, and had to make it back to Turkiye.
Tuberculosis, probably from my childhood,
Reared its head and condemned me to several months of isolation
And several overlapping medications to stabilize my condition.
I was condemned and isolated in my little apartment,
Where my coworkers were wary of visiting because of the disease.
Just as the condemned woman kept herself busy,
I practiced several arts to occupy my mind and remain somewhat sane.

I had learned about the intentional language, Esperanto,
While travelling through Bulgaria.
I purchased a 12-Step 'Teach Yourself Esperanto' and 'went to town'.
After a few weeks, I ordered various literature materials
And started reading. The language is so learner-compatible,
That I read half a page, before resorting to a dictionary!

My 'cello was my musical companion, upon which I practiced
Each day to the point of evening exhaustion!
During this time, I also started composing
A flute and 'cello 12-Tone System duet.
At that time I wrote a couple of scientific articles,
Along with many letters to colleagues and friends.

Without these diversions, I would have been totally lost.
As with confinement, isolation of any kind must be contended with.
The gregarious behavior of humans is a very powerful need
And must always be pursued in all conditions.
To be completely isolated, is to gradually destroy all humanity in a person.

Slavery--Here?--In OUR History? opus 336

During the '70's, I was hired to teach by the University in Lesotho, Africa.
Lesotho, being very small, I would occasionally travel to the surrounding South Africa.
This large, Apartheid country had a white ruling minority.
Apartheid means 'apartness' and mimicked the segregation in my US country.
There, I witnessed many examples of cruelty and segregation between 'races'.

Many years later, I heard Nikki Haley question slavery in historical US,
While challenging Trump for the presidency.
I, and many others, were incredulous listening to her denials!
A citizen here must admit that our White House construction used slave labor.
Now Florida's governor has created laws to soften historical facts.

My point here, is that the aftermath of our sad history
Has left many 'historical fossils', manifesting what actually occurred.

I heard today about the founding of 'Easter Monday',
When Blacks in our country started this celebration after 1878,
(When segregated egg rolling at the White House was initiated as an Easter celebration),
Because Black people were forced to work on Easter sunday.
They appeared on Monday and celebrated in all their finery,
(Just as their white counterparts did on Sunday!),
On the next, closest day to the period, when hopes for some of the white world members
Celebrated the new Sunday day of--'hope for the world has arisen'.
If one leafs through the fossil historical recorded accounts,
One finds numerous reported facts which, of course, clinch this slave history.

In the light of Florida's actions today, do many really wish to 'leaf through'?

Can Revolution be Justified? opus 337

Revolutions by 'imprisoned populations' against powerful powers
Have occurred throughout history.
Our own U.S. revolution erupted when the once devoted population,
Had been taxed, countered, and had their freedoms slowly removed.
The French followed, revolting against their haughty Royalty.
Many such revolutions have erupted with similar motivations--
Haiti in 1804 being another, which freaked out President T. Jefferson!

Now we have the eruption of Hamas in Gaza,
Revolting, once again, because of a controlled population
Which basically has been held in an 'open air prison' since 1948.
What they did on 7 October 2023, was an horrid act,
But nonetheless a revolt, poorly, ideally, representing 'their people',
Screaming out once again that enough is enough.

The world, in the past, could have guided events,
So that the Palestians, who forcibly lost all their land,
Could have maintained dignity by possessing their own Nation-State
In a Two State Solution, created at that time,
So that these 'losers' at least maintained some dignity
With their own continuing, prideful legacy.
In this light, and compared to the origins of many other world revolutions,
Is it really so mysterious as to why this horror actually erupted?

Permafrost opus 338

Rising temperatures on our planet are no longer debatable.
Permafrost--weak frozen soil structure--is no longer 'perma'.
Northern villages built on this soil-type are sinking.
Visitors' faces were once seen through a window,
But now a viewer through that window sees knees!
Roads are undrivable, comprised now of soft mud.
Graves in cemeteries are submerged under mud and water.
Inhabitants are steadily being forced to move.
This is yet another subtle manifestation of the Climate Crisis,
Which is creating ever-more individual Eco-nomads.
Now, permanent melting is added to the Crisis list comprising
Heat, desiccation, fire, violent storms, forced animal migrations,
And impossible agricultural conditions.

To a Celtic-Cuban opus 339

Oh, you dear woman who struck me at my first moment's sight,
Merely perused on a Christmas card.
Fire emanating from you, with hot coals flowing down your shoulders.
You are what would be in a long time past--
A leader, on a gallant horse, leading troops of truth,
As did the mounted Boudicca, fighting for the celtic cause
Against the invading Romans.
I know little of your total accomplishments,
But you demonstrate the art of your place
And interpret for us the wonders of your environment.
Your Man, your wee one, and your physique
Tell me as a stranger, you are to be gently reckoned with.
I shall enter your place and environs with
Respectful trepidation and total honor for your traditions.
My horse and I kneel as we enter before you.
May we have mutual and continual understanding
For our earthly accomplishments,
To allow a beneficial environment for our offspring.
Bless you dear lady and I remain in perpetuity
Your servant in kind.

Awareness opus 340

Two youthful fish were swimming together,
Deep into their normal fish-clicking language,
When an older, wiser, member of their type
Passed them by, nodding in the customary manner
And clicking out the greeting, "How is the water?"
The two nodded with respect and swam on.
Suddenly, the one stopped the other and clicked out the query--
"What the hell is water?"

When I lived for several years in Turkiye,
I learned that one of the first greetings upon meeting
Was "Su nasil?" (How is the water? -- meaning in your village.)
The basic point which I am sadly and nervously learning,
Is that our population is consumed with their own immediate needs,
With no idea how important
The surrounding world is for their very existence!
People now-a-days have no thought, for instance,
Of their companion plants--
These include grasses, flowers, shrubs and trees--
All, once vital to the indigenous people of the past.
But little do the Moderns realize of their importance to them.

Farmers and gardeners well know
How the changing rainfall and heat affect their livelihoods.
(Even planting temperature zones have been recently modified.)
Ornithologists well know of the disrupted avian food supplies world wide.
Ictheologists well know of decreasing fish populations,
Affecting both 'man and beast'.
Climatologists, like Yoda, see the changing overall picture.
To top all this, especially according to geophysicists,
Our planet may soon be subtracting a nanosecond from a future year
Because of the slower rotation of the earth,
Due to the melting north and south, and causing shifting
General equatorial planetary mass distribution.

Are we aware or even care about the fish' 'water around us'?
Or do we just continually bicker amongst ourselves
About what may turn out to be exceeding bits of trivia?

In Anticipation of a Partial Solar Eclipse opus 341

The early morning sunlight gently flooded my savannah-surrounded pond.
Many native shrubs, planted three decades ago,
Flaunt their ornamental red clusters of mature berries.
Suddenly a rapidly flying cloud crosses the area, then back again--
Rapid movement of a hundred wings,
Completely coordinating the mass of airborne bodies;
Flashes of light-toned feathers, juxtaposed with soft tan;
The flock reels and twists in difficult gyrations.
Suddenly a meeting of two California natives--bird and plant.
The swarm quickly lands, covering the ornamented shrub,
Quickly devouring the coveted energy-filled fruits.
Then just as quickly, the mass of fluttering wings
Rises up as an elevating cloud and flashes onward.

There will be in an hour or so a much anticipated solar eclipse,
But what just occurred outside my window
Is just as wondrous, manifesting yet another natural phenomenon.
May we all remember that minor 'miracles' appear often right beside us,
And that we must learn to marvel at the huge as well as the miniscule.
In my case here, it was the blending of two native beings--
One, the plant, the Toyon ornamented with nutritious fruits,
And the other, our wonderful, attractive and vivacious, Cedar Waxwing.

Coping With the Climate Crisis opus 342

The temperature in our world is absolutely ever-gradually rising.
This is a result of our own success in polluting technology.
Industry, transportation, cooling and heating of our living quarters.
There are two approaches to this problem:
The first is to temporarily alleviate the great heat--
Planting more trees, covering irrigation canals with solar panels,
Painting all rooftops white, lightening black asphalt with coatings,
Photovoltaic panels, batteries, solar box cooking,
Using methane production from human waste to burn for energy.
But these are only environmental bandages.
The second and ultimate effort must be to radically change our technology
To less polluting systems and attitudes therewith in how we basically live.
This change will take willpower,
But it is a must for a comfortable and successful future.

Our Sun opus 343

Suns (stars) are formed in clusters.
They are identified by similar 'DNA'--
Their similar chemical makeup.
Why is our sun, then, so alone?
Suns shun each other
And gravitationally spread out.
As time passes, suns' DNA then mutate,
Making the ID of our sun's sibs difficult.
Why continue to look?
Because if our sun nurtures our living earth,
Perhaps a sister sun
May also protect a sister living earth!

Heat--The Silent Killer opus 344

Our farm workers are laboring in rising temperatures.
When will they completely revolt to defend their lives
In conditions of blistering heat
While the rest of us are consuming our nourishment
In artificially cooled and comfortable environs?
Do we truly appreciate and are we grateful
That these invincible workers labor on?

The basic question, though,
Is why would certain (e.g. FL and TX) governors
Sign laws to counter efforts
Of more humane members in their governments
To allow temporary shade and water and rest when needed
For harvesters of our food, toiling over the heated earth?
One governor is caught blurting out
If heat remedies "are enacted here and there, it will cause
A lot of problems 'down there' for our farming businesses."

We still, sadly, value our fellow persons on a scale.

'The Seasons of Man' opus 345

Humans have various important times during their lives--
The so-called 'Seasons of Man'.
While observing my seed-laden bird feeder,
I have noticed that the myriad of sparrows
During the winter months have declined drastically,
Now that it is almost May. Why?
Contemplating the seasonal food intake of sparrows,
I realized that not only are the natural seed sources now extant,
But that the new voracious nest-bound offspring
Demonstrate the need in their young lives
To have huge amounts of pure protein for growth.
The adult need for seed intake now requires protein-laden insects!
The behaviour of seed gathering
Is dominated by insect hunting for the young.

There are several examples of specific food needs throughout life.
One is the vegetarian frog tadpole
Metamorphosing to the insectivorous-carnivore adult.
Mammals also switch from high nourishment milk
To a carnivorous, vegetarian or omnivorous life.
But, through natural selection, most European humans, especially,
Have managed to continue consuming milk in their 'adult stage'.
We are all familiar with the lactose intolerant individuals
Who, because of the adult, milk consuming culture,
Must have a lactose-free 'milk' to continue imbibing with their fellows!

Indigenous American Agriculture opus 346

I couldn't wait for your information, so perhaps this might be useful to enhance your exhibit. The religious mounds, etc, would be another story. (I worked on this for about 10 hours!)

Contributions of Native Americans and the indigenous origins of many practices used today in the regenerative agricultural movement.

Original indigenous populations protected local ecosystems, preserving biodiversity, using good land management and farming methods. The landscape to which the Europeans arrived was not 'untouched land' -- the 'pristine myth' -- but rather that the land had been actively shaped. Indigenous Americans had advanced the practices, defining sustainable agricultural and land stewardship.

INTERCROPPING AND POLYCULTURES.

INTERCROPPING has been practiced by many early groups, including the Iroquois. The most well known is the 'Three Sisters'. The corn stalks provide a trellis for the beans, which add nitrogen to the soil. Additionally, the squash vines are a 'living mulch', improving soil health, maintaining moisture, and thus also preventing the growth of weeds.

INTERCROPPING, thus relies on crops that are complementary and compete minimally for resources. This improves crop productivity and yield stability over time, increasing soil health. Other benefits are pest management, weed reduction, insect and disease control. Temporary cover crops (eg. legumes) also improve soil health, sequester carbon and aid in biodiversity. Remember how the Pilgrims were shown the fertilizing method of planting a dead fish in each crop mound.

POLYCULTURES imitate nature by planting various species in the same area, with similar benefits of intercropping. Polycultures demonstrate greater use of nutrients, light, and water than monocultures.

WATER MANAGEMENT.

Today's water management historically returns to indigenous practices. Planting-mounds used by indigenous people in more humid climates drained excess moisture.Mounds or ridged-furrows are used the same way today.

Peoples in arid climates (the Hohokam, Arizona tribe) built canals for their irrigation to farm. The Pueblo people used small dams to productively redirect water, thus preventing erosion. These methods are used today and with modern technology, drip irrigation prevents water loss and erosion.

AGROFORESTRY.

Early peoples practiced agroforestry, by managing trees, crops and wild, then domesticated animals together for mutual benefit. SILVICULTURE or tree management (remember Pennsylvania means 'Penn's Woods'), including growth and composition to enhance wildlife and better hunting, had been traditionally practiced for millenia. SILVOPASTURE was used to graze animals (wild, then domestic) among trees. Better forest health, increased soil carbon levels, shade for animals (ever more important with increasing heat due to the Climate Crisis) and greater wildlife habitat are enhanced by using both silviculture and silvopasture methods.

Of course controlled fires were used by early peoples for forest management. With the ENVIRONMENTAL SUCCESSION process, nutrients were shifted from the soil to an organic plant form. The Midwestern and Southwestern grasslands were burned in selectively chosen forest areas to promote regeneration of forests which still exist today in the Midwest and Texas Hill Country. The ash from these forest fires were used to fertilize crops by collecting it and transferring it to crop areas. Of course, the regenerating grasses, shrubs, and trees, having increased tender leaf growth, attracted wildlife for better hunting. The clearing of much brush and undergrowth allowed for easier hunting with bows and spears. As a byproduct of these fires, grasshoppers and locusts were 'fried' for delicious meals (entomophagy, the eating of insects, which as our protein sources become limited, will be used by future Moderns, once again). Today we use prescribed, controlled burns to reduce fire hazard, clearing areas near cities and towns. The native people also did this around their villages and encampments for exactly the same reason!

PERMACULTURE.

Permaculture, coined by Bill Mollison, was a practice to farm, using all the surrounding environmental features to maximum benefit; working with the natural forces, as opposed to against. The indigenous people planted legumes, plants which 'fixed' nitrogen and added other vital nutrients to the soil. This practice by Moderns is used to reduce dependence on fertilizers and to improve soil health.

For further information:

Books titled '1491' and '1492' by Charles C. Mann.
Permaculture books by Bill Mollison.

Strong People opus 347

Strong people do not need strong leaders.
When strong people are wounded, they have limited pain
And as strong people heal, they bind up and get on with it.

With this in mind, how many do we really know?

Creating a Conservation Easement opus 348

These properties, as an entity, will be donated to the U of WYO with an easement. This is the result of many years of work to accrue all parcels and lots along with much personal remuneration, to enhance the State of Wyoming and its wildlife, situated in an agricultural setting. The Little Medicine Bow River is a tremendous asset for the project property.

It is our wish to have a stable working ranch, protecting its wildlife in perpetuity. We wish to use one of the existing lots (Lot 46 seems most appropriate--topography, its juxtaposition to the larger sections, etc.) as the 'building envelope' for the ranching family, and to keep all sectioned areas as one working entity.

Because of the status of Sage Grouse in the State, let alone the nation itself, we wish them to be totally protected. Because of the Black Footed Ferret on the northern neighboring ranch, we wish they also be protected, and that all other wildlife be legally hunted, if need be, respecting all Wyoming laws.

If peripheral fences are upgraded, they should be wildlife friendly. Internal fences should be temporary.

All geographic features should be left in place to maintain the aesthetic beauty of the ranch.

We wish to work with the WSGLT and the University of WYO to achieve the most suitable result.

Thank you for considering this application to be part of your conservation efforts.

The Scottish Bank opus 349

Every time I go into a bank, I remember an experience in Scotland.
When Scotland was forced (1770) to join England--the new 'Britain'--
They were allowed to maintain their healthcare,
Educational system, and print their own currency.
The English were always very 'particular' about receiving Scottish notes
And often shamed people who used them in England.
A father, sending his child off to school in England
Was meticulous to make sure all the accompanying notes
Were English to avoid embarrassment and delays.

On that 'note', I shall continue to relate my tale.
In a small town in Scotland,
I needed to exchange my Traveler's Checks for notes.
Britain uses both notes, theoretically, as completely equivalent.
As the teller was counting out my 'pound-refund',
I watched carefully if she would mix the notes--English and Scottish.
Sure enough, the mixed pile built up and at that point,
I called out loudly, "No, please, I want only Scottish notes!"
Banking progress ceased for a moment and my surrounding patrons
Immediately understood that this 'foreigner'
Understood their historic humiliation.
There were smiles and nods in my direction, conveying their gratitude!
I left the bank, fulfilled that I had made
A small positive mark on an oppressed people.

A Pastoral (Bucolic) Sunday Visit opus 350

(An invitation for a Visit to my Ophthalmologist.)

Hello dear Carmine et al.

The weather will be marvelous tomorrow and I am free
To interact with my fellow Homo sapiens.
Please come, the two of you, and enjoy some time together.
You all will be here on Terra Firma in perpetuity,
But I may have just the 'blink of an eye' remaining!
(No medical talk tomorrow--just praising that of having the visual ability
To swoon with the exquisite sights all around us,
Some of which I will humbly interpret for you.)

Seriously, I will relate to no hospital superior
That you have entered my territory--neither mental nor geographic.
It would give me such pleasure to spend a few moments with you
In the freedom of my territory, which I have defended
And made productive for the nation and the world.

I invite you as your devoted and steadfast patient.

Frank

Two Very Sexy Geese opus 351

I have viewed this afternoon on my little farm pond,
A pair of Canada Geese swimming quietly together.
As I watched (1500 Hours), the two began
Dipping heads and imbibing in unison.
The mirrored movements became ever more rapid,
When suddenly the male gently slid over the back of the female,
Holding her head under water as he mated.
Just as quickly, he slid off but was still hooked
With his intromittent organ.
They swam awkwardly in parallel until he became unattached.
Then as if they were two human lovers, lighting up,
They, in unison, began (1515 Hours) fierce self preening manipulations.
Bills dug into plumage, over and over again,
Followed together by more head dipping,
Wing flapping, and bathing--full body.
At this moment (1525 Hours) a lone male Mallard swam from shore
Then suddenly plunged under water, surfacing twenty feet out,
Next to the pair
(Mallards are dabblers, not usually divers--most interesting behaviour.)
It started to preen and dip, mimicking the 'dance' nearby.
Astoundingly this went on for several minutes,
Then just as rapidly, the duck turned and swam to shore,
Continuing, in its seeming frenzy, to preen on ground.
The goose pair continued to mimic each other with diminishing movements.
The Mallard swam back out to mingle with the two,
Seeming to empathetically be 'joyful' in what had just occurred.
As things calmed down, I was again overwhelmed
That I had witnessed another creature, so very accurately,
Going through the same passions and behaviour
As if I had just viewed a sex film or had remembered
My own sexual behaviour with a mate of my own species!
Then, as if the phone had rung, drawing us back into the 'real' world,
The female goose began to softly cackle several times
Announcing that it was over and business awaits.
The two arose, splashingly, off the water, rose up and headed west
To the field next door, cackling exuberantly as they landed in the 'green graze',
Now ready, with contrasting behaviour, to pluck many blades of grass!

(It is noteworthy that the male Mallard through this whole episode
was totally alone--no female in sight.
An hour later his female returned--from foraging?--
and immediately the male became active around her--
swimming, preening and devoting attention to her!)

The Tragic Separation by War opus 352

The two of us were not anywhere near the war,
Raging fiercely and cruelly,
The rightful cause being justified by both sides.
One of us is a devout and practicing believer,
While the other is a Humanist, historian,
Devoted to all life with no god.
They had schooled together, performed music together,
And then lost track for many activity-filled decades.
One chose the military as a doctor (for refuge?) during Vietnam.
The other fiercely opposed the war, declared a pacifistic stand,
Ready to be a 'noncombatant', go to prison, or flee to Canada.

At their fiftieth High School reunion, we met again and even later,
At the capitol of Rhode Island, when the second
Was presenting a hand-carved 'Tartan Stone' to that state.
Communication began once again in earnest,
Until it happened--the Gaza-Israeli War.
Because of our backgrounds, beliefs, philosophies, and life outlook,
Suddenly we were not able to comfortably communicate
And at 80 for both, we were drawn apart,
Much as had occurred in our Civil War,
Where, brother against brother, father against son,
And mother against daughter's husband
Divided once united and steadfast relationships.

Humans, unfortunately, go beyond their fellow creatures
Because they think--creating philosophy, politics, and religion--
All which can divide humans and of which
Other creatures know nothing thereof.

(Ok, you got me on the territory argument, if you wish to diverge.)
(That's another 'Thought' coming out soon!--
'A Mammalian (Human) Territorial Flaw'.)

A Mammalian (Human) Territorial Flaw opus 353

Most living creatures, in order to eat well and breed successfully,
Need space, territory, habitat, feeding ground, display area. ...
Humans have gone several steps beyond all this.
Not only do they need area for resource production, living space and so,
But they delve in another mind dimension--that of the holy and revered spaces.
These are territories which, as abstract as they are,
Are to be claimed, maintained, and defended as fiercely as if they were wheat fields,
Without vital seed to eat, but places where one meets a Chosen Entity.
And more, if that space is desired by others,
There is no thought, but to hold and defend it unto death.
A 'simple' mammalian (in our case) functional behaviour to survive has super evolved
Into an abstract set of emotions which continually divide our human world.
If we could only see through this behaviour--completely--
More gentleness and understanding and compromise would prevail!

Glimpsing a Touch of the Sixth Extinction opus 354

When I arrived in Davis, California, in 1978,
I took over a small 37 acre former sheep farm.
Using the local newspaper and local expertise,
I learned about sheep, swine, cows, gardening and aquaculture.
However, being a biologist, I noticed and learned
The many native species, from plant to creature, surrounding me.
In the evening, as it darkened, twenty or more toads
(Bufo (now Anaxyrus) boreas)
Would congregate under an outside light to feast on 'hapless' insects.
Time passed over the years and, as with many of our amphibians,
My toad population slowly dwindled to--nothing.
Was this due to disturbance, rising temperatures or acid in the air?
I know not, but all I know is they were gone.
All that occurred in the early '80's, and then there is now.
I was carrying a bucket of greens by the north side of my house
To feed the rescue tortoises I have accrued,
When I noticed the movement of a grass clump to my left.
Being always curious and empirically longing to know,
I spied a small body, moving 'toad-like' away from me.
Oh, my god, after 40 years, what did I see, but a toad!
I watched in disbelief as it worked its way to hide.
My mind raced in thought--are they returning?
Is this the ultimate and absolutely last one?
Could there be some mutation, resulting in a more resilient form?
Not at all sure, watching the tiny creature disappear,
But nonetheless, leaving me with emotions of joy and despair

Subsiding Cities opus 355

The magic of water is that it occurs in the form of
Steam, liquid, and solid ice--three intuitively predictable forms.
The mindblower is that the solid--ice--is less dense than water and floats!
Biologically this is important for the survival of aquatic creatures in winter habitats.
Now the world's climate is changing and floating ice is liquifying,
Thus slowly creating a new world of drowning, coastal cities.
Our beloved Japanese gifted cherries near the Lincoln Memorial
Are drowning because of the backed up Tidal Basin of the Potomac River.
In South Florida, even on a fair day,
Water is backing up and flowing out of the sewer systems.

Perhaps more alarming, as I have recently learned,
Is that many coastal cities in China are literally sinking.
This is, of course, due to the neighboring--and yes--rising sea.
But, unlike many other countries, a large number of Chinese cities
Are built on softer river deltas, from under which
Groundwater has been pumped out in large quantities.
Perhaps within a hundred years, a quarter of China's coastal land
Will be below sea level, much due to subsidence.
This is an international phenomenon and, within our own turf,
Our beloved New Orleans, sharing similar geology,
Will disappear under the waves.

Any Compensation for Palestinian Lands? opus 356

Much before the creation of Israel in 1948,
Palestine endured great turmoil
With continual internal harassment,
From those anticipating, at last, a Jewish State--
Even to the point of poisoning drinking wells
To remove both human and animal from their homes.
The oppressed side calls it Nakba which it seems
Will never be forgotten, thus perpetuating
The present great unrest.

Perhaps if established today, in the light of justice,
Might there not be from the start,
A logically created two state solution--
Each side maintaining its national dignity and pride?
How simple and straightforward a conclusion
For the equality and autonomy of both--
And how, so much strife might thus be avoided,
Both in Palestine and for the concerned world at large.

Bird Talk--Three Thousand Miles Apart opus 357

I was talking on the phone with my friend, Leland.
I was in California, but a former Easterner,
And he was in Pennsylvania, territory I knew well.
When I talk on the phone, I often attempt to visualize
Just what the speaker is doing or where heesh might be.
Leland was walking outdoors amongst his sights and sounds.
Suddenly, I interrupted to query, focusing on a prominent bird call.
Is that a Cardinal I asked? Leland doesn't know birds--let alone calls.
He walked towards the sound--a questionable brownish bird--a sparrow.
No. I urged him to explore further and suddenly
He described a flash of red--perhaps a robin?
Upon closer scrutiny, he declared--"No, all red!"
With that, he declared, "Right, a Cardinal!"
Fun to bird watch from sound only and thus be part of Leland's world.

The Wisdom of the Inexperienced opus 358

I was talking with my ophthalmologist about world affairs
In the few extra minutes we are allowed in our pressured medical world.
He said it was, "Too bad that our (USA) students
Should be demonstrating about Gaza."
His thought took me back to my Vietnam-demonstrating days.
The country was then in turmoil, some of my family even disowning me,
But we finally stopped the brutal, horrible, unnecessary war,
And now we are friendly and trading-allies!

Today, the Palestinian situation of injustice has commenced long enough,
And a just Two State Solution is what must obtain.
Religion, guilt and fervor entwined us in this--mess.
For my whole life I have endured and anguished with these conflicting peoples.
Uncomfortable as it may be, are once again our students correct?
Students are lacking in much experience and knowledge,
But there is a childlike, youthful innocence towards what is right.
Thinking human animals often create uncomfortable situations,
But youth, where and when they are allowed to speak,
Often show what is the right and just path.
They are the ones, when contemplating the implications of their future lives,
Who resist their stagnant elders, mired in their indecision,
And cry out, "We do not want to inherit the world you are presenting us!"
Unlike their tired elders, youth are full of energy
And that energy often is directed towards a better life
Which they wish to pursue into their unknown futures.

We are having a Telephone Speech Crisis opus 359

I am almost 83 in August.
I have raised millions of dollars by telephone for wildlife and open space.
I also receive hundreds of calls asking for something
Or informing me of an appointment or something informational.

The new trend is to employ many less expensive--cost cutting operators,
Most recruited from Central or South America, or more, from the Philippines,
Who do not often speak clearly or succinctly.
The many North American operators are mostly young female citizens,
Who are, over time, speaking more and more rapidly.
What I am observing over my many years,
Is that the foreign operators are not well trained in English
And that the citizen women uncoached operators speak so rapidly,
One has a true difficulty in following and comprehending their message,
Let alone catch their mangled name at the introduction.
As for the doctor or company for which they are calling
These pivot people are well trained in their professions and how to speak.
So my basic question is why on earth are 'professional' telephoners
Not trained properly in speech, speed of delivery, and clarity?
Actors on stage must learn proper speech and delivery.
Why are telephone informers not groomed
To properly execute their message as well?

Technological Augmentation of Testosterone opus 360

The hormone testosterone flows strongly in male human mammalians,
Formerly adapted to augment strength, aggression and fearlessness
For self survival and to protect those living in their small bands.

Today, with the invention of more and more powerful firearms,
The strength of testosterone is now transferred from the body alone
To a powerful and over-proportionally functional trigger finger.

Neanderthals (and Early Homo sapiens) Could not Live on Mammoth Flesh Alone! opus 361

Butchered bones with stone blade marks are prominent in Prehistoric middens.
The question is, did our ancestors consume anything but meat?
Time has passed until now, when, with new research techniques,
We are learning that a large array of plant material
Has been detected and identified around the fossil dentition of the ancient ones.
Chard, wild oats, beans, wild peas, mushrooms, wild mustard,
Acorns, pistachios, and other nuts all have been ferreted out from their non-existent gum lines!
Meat, as it should be with us also, was not continually consumed,
Thus, resulting in a nice omnivorous diet, as our dentition so indicates.

The Fall Risk opus 362

At almost 83, I was yet again faced
With an operation complex enough to be put under.
A large squamous growth on my outer left leg.
Arriving at the hospital, concluding a loquacious taxi ride,
During which we discussed passing farming practices,
I went through the normal drill--
Copay, of course; ID, medical allergies, etc.,
And the normal anointing of my right wrist
With the white bracelet, containing the particulars
Which content the medical staff.
Then, gently, an additional new bracelet
Was juxtaposed by the usual white one--
It was narrower and streamlined and bright yellow--
Large, black lettering announced--'Fall Risk'.

Now, I ID and 'label' birds in my pursuit of new species--
Morphology, call, and feathering to yield age and sex.
Just as I have done so for many years with birds,
The receptionist has ID'ed me as a 'patient type'!
'Why this manner of ID?', I asked.
'Well, your age for one, and your cane!'
Unfortunately, she nailed it--no squirming out--
Just as I make 'positive' bird IDs, so had she!
I am what I am, in this last quarter of my life,
And now, just as with my beloved birds,
I have been absolutely identified and categorized and banded!

Mohammed of Gaza opus 363

His name is Mohammed.
He lives in Gaza.
At 14 he was exploring
The ruins of his home
And came across a canister.
Resulting from the powerful explosion,
He has no left arm
Nor any right-hand fingers.
(His brother helps him to urinate.)
Saved by four doctors,
He may still die--
There is no medical backup.

Ten percent of all bombs
Remain dangerously unexploded.
It will take 40 years in the future
To clear all unexploded explosives.
During that period many inquisitive children
Will continue to die.

Dig Your Canines into this One! opus 364

It is interesting to contemplate
As to what might have caused
The difference between canine morphology
Of us--the hominids--and our fellow pongids
(Including Chimps, Bonobos, Gorillas, and Orangutans).
The dentition of the human mouth
Was really our manipulating third hand.
Then came the invention of tools,
Rendering the lesser utilization
Especially of our large canines.
Thus with tools, combined with the opposable thumb,
Our canines evolved to a 'respectable' size',
Unlike the more exaggerated canine morphology
Of our 'brotherly' pongid hominoids.

So Many Choices are Dividing Us opus 365

As our technology continually fragments,
It results in a kaleidoscope of competing means of communication.
How our news is transmitted from many rival sources
As well as what type of means we just 'talk' to each other,
Has divided our society, our politics, our religious groups,
As well as our basic family structure!
'I listen only to this or that--the others are fake.'
'I do not and will not talk with you on such and such a technology--
I use only such and such a means to communicate.'
The old fashioned telephone is now considered slow, intrusive,
And the voice is obsolete!
Faxing, Email, and texting plus others go quickly out of mode and fashion.
With our present many means of learning what is going on (news!),
Or how we just talk with each other,
Has no longer brought us together, but has divided us,
To the point that we just plain refuse to interact,
Merely because of the 'brand' of the means used.
With all this technology, we are being brainwashed
Into separated states of isolation.

Are We Really Following the Correct Philosophy? opus 366

We are privileged with a star, we call the sun,
Which maintains light and temperature to evolve and sustain life.
As a result, we inhabit a 'blue planet', rare in our solar system.
As thinking beings who have developed competing, elevated philosophies,
To attempt to explain our sojourn on our special planet,
Why is it that these elevated thought processes
Have at times done nothing but create conflict and competition?
We need 'reverence', enabling a phylogenetic long-term
Peaceful coexistence of our species.

They 'Otter' get it Right - Another Dentition Story opus 367

Dentition in mammals is not only important for survival,
But also used to determine the relatedness of the various mammalian groups.
Sea Otters in the Monterey Bay area have been studied for many decades.
The interest in mammalian tool users is now more focussed research.
Abalone and softer shelled creatures are first choices for otter food,
But with more than 200 otters feasting in a concentrated area,
The use of rocks, bottles, and other harder scavenged materials
Are needed to crack snail shells and other more difficultly-opened armaments.
Using tools have allowed smaller individuals as well as females to successfully compete.
In addition, tool use has enhanced better tooth condition,
Which also has increased the successful survivability of otherwise vulnerable individuals.
Contrast this with how tool use in humans
Has caused the hominids to maintain otherwise larger hominoid canines!

See Dig Your Canines into this One!

Memorial Day--May 2024 opus 368

Once again we commemorate a day
To remember those who died amidst the horrors of war,
Participating in conflicts which most personally never chose.
Being very aggressive and yet just another animal life form,
Humans have endeavored, but not yet learned
How to solve potential conflicts relating to territory and ideology.
Yes, attempts have continually been made, but with no final success.
Are we locked into the confines of our reptilian brain,
Or will we be, at some time in our future history,
Able to gently and peaceably come to the necessary compromises
Which will insure our successful sojourn
On this beautiful, very special blue planet?

The Sacred Piano Keyboard opus 369

It is common to purchase a child size violin or cello.
Why is there such resistance to reduce the size of the piano keys?
The piano keys are too wide for the reach of children,
Those with smaller adult hands, and for many women,
Who are naturally, morphologically smaller.
To reach a spread of 10 keys is impossible for many--
Eight and sometimes nine keys are often achievable,
But with the potential that hand injury will result.
Realize that 80 percent of piano competitions are won by men,
While 75 percent of violin competitions are won by women!
Surely, no more evidence, need be presented.
Is there a possibility this is a male dominated 'pianist world'
To reduce the success and recognition of their fellow female musicians?

(On a similar, sexist point, remember, that it has been men fashion designers
Who have continually created high heel shoes, merely to augment
The bulge of the calf, and thus the result being mostly for male visual delight!
This, of course, is at the expense of the podiatry health of women.)

Flying XIII. Emergency Landings opus 370

As my flight lessons progressed, the complexity of emergency test landings unfolded.
As we took off over the runway, the instructor would suddenly pull the throttle,
Which caused the loss of power and the immediate need to land.
The idea was to turn, while not stalling, and quickly land back or beside the runway.
Quick thinking is needed to determine if a plane next in line is taking off,
Making it necessary to land 'on the grass' next to the runway.
Of course, with the change of direction, one is further challenged by landing with the wind.

Another instance, important to learn, is finding a landing spot from a higher altitude.
At three to five thousand feet and the artificial loss of power,
The challenge is to locate a field or beach or highway,
And spiral down, attempting to figure wind direction, terrain,
As well as judging the advantageous spot on which the wheels must touch.
The instructor waits until the last 'perfect' moment
And immediately pushes in the throttle to restore life to the malfunctioning flying machine.
With much relief, one listens for the evaluation of the attempted landing.
Even though these lessons are abrupt and cause elevated blood pressure,
It is all in the game and the higher level of challenge
Becomes more 'normal' and acceptable and a part of one's 'new reality'.

Playful Orcas? opus 371

For a number of years now
Orcas have been ramming smaller boats,
Often targeting the rudders, which are demolished.
Some have even managed to overturn a boat or two!
The question has always been as to why this occurs?
Is it an action of revenge for climate change and the diminishing food supply,
Or possibly the invasion of boats with their terribly disruptive motor sounds?
After some study by marine biologists, a conclusion has been formed--
It appears to be young animals, which are merely being playful!
Hitting these boats is all in a day's hunting technique
And nothing more than roughing up their normal prey.
Remember that cetaceans are intelligent and, like their fellow humans,
Play is part of the way of gaining skills to be used in 'serious life'.

(Orcas avoid jellyfish, so a successful remedy
Is to paint jellyfish on the hull and rudder!
Might it work? We'll see!)

Why the Denial? opus 372

So much evidence accumulating;
So many denying that anything is happening.

When did you last hear of such violent turbulence manifesting,
That two planes, within days, experienced such turmoil,
That many passengers, even one who died,
Resulting from huge destructive loss of altitude,
Pounding travellers against the cabin roof and racks?
I am almost 83, have followed aviation history,
And cannot recollect such atmospheric strength.
It is more and more evident that these changes
Will be increasing as a result of the ravages
Of the prevailing Climate Crisis.

It is noteworthy that most governing our Southeast
Absolutely deny even the mention of such change,
In spite of the revenge of the Climate
With its ever-greater tornadoes, both in size and number,
Crying out to demand the choosing of either our survival,
Or Climate's increasing destruction.

Historically, after great effort and cost,
We have vanquished dictators.
Why is it we cannot marshal and vanquish
An even worse and more horrible creeping foe?

Changes opus 373

As we grow and evolve through life,
The child becomes the young adult,
And this develops into the man or woman.
As this manifests, a previous stage is not erased,
But augmented with experience and wisdom.
If one is fortunate, the wonderful previous
Childlike characters potentially now in adulthood
Still peek through to soften
The harsher challenges and realities of later life.

Contentment After Eight Decades opus 374

My world has been filled with a good childhood,
With the nurturing of two loving and attentive parents,
Exciting education, three major wars,
Civil Rights struggles, acting upon pacifism,
Exciting biological work and discovery,
Learning to fly and to organically farm, and fundraising for the planet,
And lastly, from my Pictish ancestry, hand carving of petroglyphs,
Now distributed throughout the world.
Of course so much of this was shared and aided with my incredible wife, Nora.
So much in one human life--Enriching.
Now, my body has slowed down,
To pursue less physically strenuous endeavors.
My thoughts and mind must continuously constrain
My former natural instincts to be able to accomplish 'everything'.

I wake in the morning to view from bed and opening eyes,
My Betta fish swimming up and down in their large vase aquaria,
To gulp air, they being obligate, labyrinth breathers.
I have studied their biology and joy in their every gulping breath.

Recalling the past,
During feeding, my gentle Scottish Highland Steer ate from my hand.
I have had many flocks of sheep, grazing down the pastures, preventing
fire risk.
After constructing acres of ponds,
Casting feed out to waiting, excited catfish swirling the water.
Planting thousands of bulbs which colored my fields every spring,
Ready to harvest for waiting Farmers Markets.
(I also led a CalTrans Highway flower project on I 80 and 113, lasting 3 years.)
Upon learning California flora, I have seeded many species of native grass,
One of which I got designated as the official State Grass,
Along with planting many types of trees and shrubs.
I had one set of two grandsons who shared these joys
(Plus two sons who grew up amongst all this)
And now a three year old grandson
Who is just beginning to learn and enjoy it all.

I continue to use my creation here to edify visitors about their
native environment.
Learning, creating and teaching to increase awareness
Has given me my now final contentment, following my eight decades on this earth.

How to Survive an Alligator! opus 375

I occasionally drop by my local pet store
To check out what chelonia species are up for sale.
Now and then, on a whim, I 'rescue' a specimen, catching my fancy.
Recently, I inquired about two Yellow Bellied turtles
(Pseudemys scripta scripta)
Which had remained in the store for weeks.
After making a 'deal', homeward they went with me.
With a dark carapace, a yellow streak slicing each scute,
And a bright yellow plastron,
I found them quietly attractive to the eye.

Sussing them out from my comprehensive 'Encyclopedia of Turtles' ,
I discovered about their southeastern US range,
But most interestingly, the heavy shell of this species,
Perhaps evolved to be resistant to their cohabitating alligators,
So that they might survive the potential cracking
And inevitable consumption by their crocodilian neighbors.

So many subtle examples of selection through the evolutionary process,
Which, with some examination, become evident to the studious mind.

Might I have been a Coworker with Betsy Ross? opus 376

If I were born in a different era
And perhaps with a different chromosomal arrangement,
I could easily have trained to be a seamstress.
As a child, I participated with my father
To work on the sewing machine (on which he taught my mother!),
Creating a sail for my outrigger Grumman canoe.
I later sewed by myself, a huge 15 foot sail
Which I utilized to hold on my shoulder
And sail on skates across my belov-ed Crystal Lake.
Around that time, I tailored a seven foot kite
Which, when inaugurated,
Almost raised my little brother, John, off the ground!
When first married to Maggi, who tragically died in Africa,
I designed and made with her, while in Turkey,
A completely round black cape with a hood!
At any rate, it is clear I enjoy the art of sewing.

To finish with Betsy Ross, Washington came to her,
Proposing a flag with stars.
Being of English Heraldic stock, he wanted a six pointed starred flag.
So the story goes, Betsy replied that six pointed stars were very laborious,
But with proper folding and one snip, a five pointed star could be
rapidly formed.
Do check out European stars (eg on coins) and see for yourself.
At any rate, in a different time, I might have been mass producing
five pointed stars!

Designing Bandages alla Betsy Ross opus 377

I was with my wound women at the hospital,
Designing bandages to cover various wounds
Derived from several cancer operations.
I volunteered to shape and fit these wound covers,
To be long lasting in spite of bodily movements,
Thus maintaining their protection.
Elyse, the LVN, allowed me to participate
And seemed to be impressed with my work,
Suggesting that I replace her as the 'wound lady',
When she was next on her few days off!
What a nice compliment for me--
Her words were the catalyst which harbored up so many memories
Of my past cutting, snipping and binding together with thread,
My past delving into the world of Betsy Ross.
The clincher to all this was when Britta, her boss and my wound guru,
Smiled approvingly to make it all believable!

An Eye for an Eye opus 378

An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth.
Or is it 30,000 eyes for an eye
And 30,000 teeth for a tooth?
War crimes pronounced on both sides.
The question emerges after so many eons
Of human history and warfare--
What on earth is true justice
For our century today?

Ukraine opus 379

There once was an ancient nation
Which slowly claimed an empire.
Too big, too unwieldy, too costly;
Then later giving the various parts their freedom.

A leader reemerges from the past, with eyes on the past.
Claiming historical 'right'; a brutal invasion occurs--
Basic murder and attrition.
At this time of writing the outcome is unknown.
Shall right prevail for the small nation,
Or shall false claims prevail,
Wrongly reciting 'history' on the other side?

Wouldn't it be Wonderful opus 380

Might you be able to contemplate
If all the resources which humans utilize
To kill, maim and wound others,
In order to prove some stupid point,
Might be mustered to aid each other
To solve or ameliorate the pending Climate Crisis
Which, in the end, will tragically challenge us all?
We need a Great Climate Crisis Truce
To stop senseless wars and focus on the nitty gritty
Of real-life actual survival of Humanity.

Is Our World Losing its Finest Democratic Republic? opus 381

Its Supreme Court is now destroying long-term precedents.
A candidate is running again, despite his crimes and untruths.
A party of the House is following that candidate, gobbling all.
Basic human freedoms, including power over women's bodies,
Are slowly eroding to nothing.

Unheard of power is now allowed for the presidency.
"No man is above the Law."
I recollect the history of Russia and Germany,
Including so many small powers throughout history.
Will the logic of the people utilizing their pending vote
Block at least a part of this potential huge shift in law and history?
Four months remain. . . . .

On This Day Three Decades Ago--Our 4 July opus 382

On our 37 acre farm, we had 14 fish ponds.
Every week I harvested Channel Catfish for local farmers markets.
On this day three decades ago, I first, then later my two boys,
Paddled out to the center of our largest pond bearing legal fireworks.
As dusk arrived, the fireworks, from the middle of the pond,
Would be released to the delight of all onlookers.
My mother, Elizabeth, was still alive and especially enjoyed them.
In those days it was quite safe, being in the mid-pond,
But with today's temperatures of 110 degrees F and such surrounding dryness,
To do such would be an act of folly and probably would be called in!

6 June 1944 opus 383

So many gave their lives on that fateful day
In many various ways to stop the Nazi oppression.
I was a young child of three on that day,
My father being in the very midst of it all.
He, because of his educational background--
Physiologist and engineer--
Was absconded to work in secret
On high altitude breathing equipment.
Our planes, limited by freezing O2 masks,
Were pummelled by the high flying Germans.
First, he designed a mask with a double layer over the face
Which, when warmed by the cheeks,
Would allow continued flow of life giving O2.
Then he tested them in chambers and in the B-17s.
This effort was the beginning towards his early death,
For he carried a rheumatic fever, wounded heart from childhood--
He lasted until only 57 years of age, in spite of medical intervention.
Third, the government instructed that he form a production company
To produce for the war, all sizes of needed masks and goggles.
This he did with a 'partner' who was later revealed as dishonest.
So much confusion and turmoil for him at the war's conclusion.
I remember several trips to Cape Cod to visit a French-Canadian attorney,
Hired to protect my father, innocent on all counts.
While they worked on the case,
I met a glorious sand and beach grass habitat!
I never completely understood everything until years later.
I do remember the eight white plaster head models,
Placed under the cellar workbench,
Used to model for the many face variations, sized for a proper mask fit.
One thing I learned was that my father's beautiful coin collection,
Which he often showed us children, needed to be sold.
If he were still alive, what a joy to discuss with him today
All the wonderful coin sagas I now myself have learned.
So many memories like this linger in my 'historical mind'.

Amputations of Man and Beast opus 384

Perhaps as long as 30,000 years ago Homo sapiens
Were performing amputations--Homo neanderthalis
Probably had them beat by several thousand years!
But let's talk of amputations millions of years ago!
Carpenter ants, it has now been discovered,
Have continuously amputated injured legs
Of fellow warriors, when necessary.
They are also presumably able to produce
Antibiotic secretions for serious wounds
As well as for amputations when needed--
Lower leg wounds are left alone
Because if altered, death usually occurs,
While upper leg wounds are successfully
Amputated and treated.
Ants produce many antimicrobial compounds
And have evolved to possess many medical treatments.
This, of course, includes therapeutic amputation!

I believe this is monumental information
Which draws our thoughts towards various life forms,
Ever closer together, and gives us pause
As to just how we might evaluate 'other life'!

Dear Women opus 385

Have you completely thought through the implications of how you will vote?
Remedying the Climate Crisis--how it will affect your children.
Maintaining our world treaties, thus stability for your child's future.
Women's health--how the wrong choice will jeopardize
Your sisters' and your daughters' and your fellow women's lives.
Please use your feminine intuition in making this most important choice!

I speak as a humble man.

California's Newest State Symbol opus 386

Several years ago I proposed and had finally passed as a state symbol,
Purple Needle Grass (Stipa pulchra), the now state perennial native grass
Which was a food staple for native people
And is now used in restoration to outcompete star thistle.
Each plant can stay around quite a while-- 150 years!

Recently California just designated the Pallid Bat as that group's representative.
A most interesting creature consuming insects and scorpions in its diet.
It also consumes cactus (plant) nectar--one of two bats in the world to do so.
The Lesser Long-nosed Bat generally sips cactus nectar
And pollinates with a delicate tongue.
Researchers were surprised to observe the Pallid Bat,
Pollinating by shoving its whole head into the flower!
These bats use echolocation to hunt on the ground
For beetles, crickets, as well as scorpions
The venom of which they are totally immune!
They also found that Pallid Bats transferred
Thirteen times as much pollen as the Lesser Long-nosed Bat.
So the more 'refined' and delicate consumption of the latter species
Was way out done by the less mannered, new discovery--the Pallid Bat.

Our Diastemas opus 387

When I mention to most people, asking what a diastema is,
The majority do not know--even if they exhibit one!
Of course, it is the space between front upper and/or lower incisors.
I lived with a diastema most of my life,
Until I needed to have partials (deciding that implants were too expensive).
As they were molded, I failed to mention I had a--now non-existent--diastema.
As a result the teeth in my upper jaw are all shifted to the left!
I am beyond vanity at nearly 83, and find it just one more fun talking point.

Having had this condition, I always noticed, especially in black Americans,
That many singers, speakers, politicians who sported a diastema.
My wondering came to an end, after a bit of research.
First, it is an African trait, whites exhibiting one because we are
all basically African!
In Africa (eg Ghana and Nigeria) with European prejudice,
Africans there were not valuing nor enjoying their diastemas,
But with independence, the whole concept flipped into a positive trend.
Today, 95 percent in Africa find MMD's (Maxillary Midline Diastemas)
very beautiful.
Moreover, 95 percent of the diastemaless population wish and actually
want to create one!
Genetically, developmental causes affect as many as 36 percent of black people,
While affecting as few as 3.5 percent in the caucasian population.
We in this country and possibly in Europe
Do not even think about a diastema and its influence on attractiveness,
But now-a-days in Africa and perhaps those in the western world,
Black people are very aware of the little space between their teeth!

Flying XIV. A Spray Application Demo opus 388

This is probably my last thought on my flying career.
I remember these demonstrations because of their forcefulness.
And also that spray planes are used to fertilize fields all around me.

Out of the blue one day with my instructor, he remarked on his 'spray' days'.
He asked if I would like to see (and feel!) just how applications were done.
Of course I answered affirmatively, so off we went.
He chose a field with telegraph lines on one edge
And an array of rather high trees on the further side.
We lined up--north to south-- barely clearing the lines,
Then abruptly dropped down to a 20 foot altitude,
Swept across the field, trees loomed ahead,
And shot straight up over the tree line.
With no flaggers to indicate our next pass to the north,
We made a broad circle to get us in line for the next pass,
Dropped abruptly again over the trees,
Swept once again across the field, aiming for the telegraph lines ahead
And miraculously shot upwards--just missing the lines!
It was a wonderful demonstration of how many pilots
Earn their daily bread and survive such a lifetime of risk,
Fertilizing our crops quickly and efficiently to feed a hungry world.

My Mount Monadnock Campers' Hike opus 389

When I was about 10 or so, driving somewhere with my father and the family,
I distinctly remember his verbal disapproval of all the trash thrown
out along the highway.
Soon thereafter, Massachusetts signs popped up on the roadways
Declaring a $1000 fine for dispensing trash on the highway's edge.
That lesson stuck with me on a field trip during my wonderful Audubon
camp activities,
Where we learned of the geology as we climbed Mount Monadnock (most
climbed in NH).
In our backpacks we all carried a lunch enclosed in a brown paper bag.
We hiked to the top, the counsellor pointing out geology, flowers, and
tree species.
At the summit, we perused the sights below and ate our lunches.
There were about 20 kids and lots of paper waste accumulated.
The question arose: what to do with the trash--
(This item for discussion would never have occurred today!)
Our counsellor, I distinctly recall, told us to stuff the bags between
a rock crevice.
I was horrified and immediately countered with
'We should not do this--it is wrong!'
I am not really sure why I was so motivated
(Perhaps from my father's outrage with the highway trash),
But I organized all the kids to gather the bags, stuff their backpacks,
And carry the trash down to be disposed of in parking lot receptacles.
There was complete cooperation, overruling the counselor's instructions--
And that was the beginning of my efforts to support nature for the
rest of my life!

AI and Honey Bees--New Introductions into Society opus 390

AI is a new 'entity' entering our society.
It shall bring many 'benefits' to medicine, education, research and warfare,
But shall also be utilized by those who will harm society.
AI, in the greater picture, with its thirst for power, will be affecting climate change
In a major and exceedingly harmful way,
Unless several breakthroughs to lessen negative effects on society are
manifested.

Similarly, the introduction of the (European!) Honey Bee has had a
parallel biological effect.
It was introduced to produce honey, but more,
To pollinate the ever-increasing flowering plants in our 'growing' agriculture.
Being introduced, this 'new' species in a new place is vulnerable to the whims of evolution,
Including the many pests which have taken advantage of a vulnerable 'foreigner'.
If the use of Honey Bees fails, due to disease and increasing Climate Crisis temperatures,
Will the whole pollinating system of North America
Crash to a halt with simultaneously decreasing tumultuous food production?
Great ideas and systems may appear ingenious and invulnerable,
But in the long run, may not survive the desired intended human system!

A Greeting for my Eye Doctor opus 391

Ah, I have crawled over the ridge,
Seeking a life-giving watery oasis,
Ending my pain of thirst--

Now you enter into my presence
To relieve the pain of rogue lashes
Agonizingly plaguing the globe of my eye,
Lying beneath my bony supraorbital ridge.

To live by the Sword opus 392

If one lives by the sword---
If one speaks in a tone of violence---
If one encourages use of weapons---
If one frivolously calls demeaning names---
If one denies facts and truths---
If one uses the religious for personal gain---
If one uses curtailment of women's health for political gain---
If one aspires to govern with absolute power---
If one proposes to dismantle a democratic government---

Will our free lifestyle with a democratic way of life
Metamorphose, by definition, to a state of hemorrhage and desiccation?
Aura is created around and by one.

Woman Power opus 393

No wimps, they--
Did you notice the Woman Power
Around wounded Trump,
As they moved him to his vehicle,
Their guns drawn beside the men?

Did you notice, as only a woman might,
The female Secret Service person
Who continued to shield the Former President,
Deftly reached down, swept up his red MAGA hat,
And carried it for him with her to the vehicle?

A touch of caring and class for a woman with power.

Are We in Climate Reversal with AI? opus 394

AI has now come into our lives--for better or worse.
The number of data centers
Have nearly doubled in the last 5 years.
This means greenhouse gas emissions
From them have almost doubled in those 5 years.
This also manifests that, all the plans
'Of mice and men' concerning the Climate Crisis
Are severely challenged and have changed
The whole carbon emission calculations.
A single 'ask' to our 'Chat' requires the power
For one light bulb for 20 minutes!
The use of the internet requires a pittance compared to AI.
And all those data centers in the world now humming
Use as much electricity per year as all of Italy!
The goal of Google and others is to build ever bigger,
Finally reaching the level of supercomputers
With their huge electricity consumption,
Which will produce ever more CO2 emissions
Increasing the Climate Crisis effect.
Could Google's pledge of net zero emissions by 2030 now ever be met?
Their latest quote is cleverly announced as "reducing emissions may be
challenging."
So, where does that leave us, the common person who just wants to breathe?

The Unfolding of Classical Music's Morphology opus 395

Palestrina -- Forbidden to add a touch of dissonant spice.

Bach, Vivaldi, Corelli, Handel, Scarlatti -- Lush harmonies of longitudinal
    interaction with not a single pause.

Haydn -- Father of the orchestra, but always locked into the motif.

Mozart and Beethoven -- Students of Haydn, but each morphed so
    differently--still locked into the motif--the former just a more
    brilliant form of the teacher; while the latter struggled with new
    forms,--still locked into the motif!

Mendelsohn -- Composing on the Christian side of a split family.

Brahms and Bruckner -- Giant, with so much more free form--truly Romantic.

Debussy -- The gentler tone poem--stories in a pleasant flow of notes.
    (e.g. La Mer).

Tchaikovsky -- A tortured man, but the flash of musical Russia is
    always there.

Shostakovitch -- New frontiers with his 12-Tone System.

Stravinsky -- New style and sound--Picasso-like. (Listen to his Mass.)

Now the electronics -- Several good composers have worked in this
    medium for years.

Modern freestyle -- Lose and often cacophonous and kaleidoscopic.

There is something for every listener, in any mood and/or with any emotion.

Domestication opus 396

Have you ever noticed the multicolored coat of reindeer (caribou)?
In addition, if you conduct deeper research, how about Fallow Deer?
Both these species have been semi-domesticated
Over centuries of human manipulation.
The Sami have herded reindeer forever
And Fallow Deer were transported from Turkey to Britain in 1100 AD.
When an organism is 'protected' by humans over a long period of time,
Evolutionary parameters fall away because coloration is irrelevant to survival.
The domestication of wolves to dogs is another example--
Reduction of dentition and snout, floppy ears,
And a curled tail manifest themselves.
The Russian experimentation of foxes revealed the same phenomena.

Humans became 'domesticated' with the advent of cooking.
A large heavy jaw with large teeth has now manifested into a finer jaw
And smaller teeth, with some, the molars, becoming obsolete!
Many of us have crowded teeth--tooth size is changing
Slower than a diminishing jaw!
From ingesting grasses and leaves to tearing apart raw meat,
To masticating cooked food--we are the only animal which does so.
It is interesting that all other primates, when given the choice,
Prefer cooked food--it is just that the brainpower is not there
To associate cooking and the need for fire!

Making Peace opus 397

There was a Swedish peace group (out of New York City?),
Which used the philosophy of attempting to gather hostile groups,
Find a common life challenge and merge them together to talk.
One such attempt was made at UC Davis in the nineties
To engage the Egyptians and the Israelis in such a situation.
With all the irrigation in California, the top soils were becoming mineralized.
UC Davis was developing plant varieties which would better survive in
such soils.
Egypt and Israel both have mineralized soils from the remains of ancient seas.
I learned that the two groups were attempting to interact.
First two separate rooms, then together but with translators,
Then as their scientists wanted faster communication results,
They just started to talk together--problem solving!
As the barriers were dissolved, field trips were created.
I was honored by receiving this mixed group of scientists,
To host a tour of my polyculture, small 37 acre farm.
To learn what had been accomplished in our nearby university was exciting
And I shall never forget the 'frosting' I added to the conclusion
Of a tremendous breakthrough between two hostile nations.

Coming to Terms with Hell opus 398

I was six years old and freely moved through my neighborhood.
My basic territory was one block long.
My address was 301 Lake Avenue, Newton Highlands.
Across the street below the opposite houses, ran the old steam engine line--
Later to be converted to cleaner electric MTA street cars!
Out of my house and to the right all the way, almost to Walnut Avenue,
I met one day a playmate named Sparky.
We were on the sidewalk, greeted each other,
When suddenly Sparky came out with, "You are going to Hell!"
I was young, confused, and didn't know what to do.
Well, of course. a six year old goes back to his mother.
What was said to reassure me remains in clouded history,
But I have somehow survived eight decades!

Perhaps Sparky's declaration got me to think--
I heard church bells a year later and asked to attend Sunday School;
Went on through high school and early college days,
Deeply exploring and partaking in religious thought;
But after meeting sophisticated biology and evolutionary theory,
I did and have now evolved in philosophy towards a benevolent Humanist--
And unless there is a great change in mindset,
I shall meet the next stage of life in mental comfort.
Thank you Sparky?

Were Our Teeth Always in Our Mouths? opus 399

As humans evolved, the diet changed from grass and leaves,
To the discovery of raw meat, and finally fire and cooking.
The once adaptive large teeth have not kept up in their reduction
With the evolving smaller jaw--
And thus present-day crowding and molar extractions!
But from where did our teeth today evolve?
Two thoughts on the subject--odontodes--
Tooth-like structures found in the throat of Hagfish
Or the odontode structures on the rough skin of sharks!
Whichever finally proves to be correct,
The present-day teeth in our mouths
In the wonderful smile we see today
could never have been foreseen in their original state.

Butterfly Massacre opus 400

I reside in the Central Valley of California.
I have lived on my smallish (37 acre) farm since 1978--46 years!
At my age one contemplates one's death more than when a teenager.
Being a biologist, I also think about the death of other creatures.
Chatting with my wonderful farm helper,
I asked him why all the butterflies were moving en masse,
Being pulverized (as he also drove) by the speeding autos?
He wasn't sure, but finally, together, we came up with 'migration'.
Yes, many species of lepidoptera migrate besides Monarchs.
The predominant shifting species at present is the lovely Sulphur--
Moving to new local feeding grounds to ensure more future caterpillars!
The beautiful yellow (Sulphur), black-tipped flyers
Move across the more open roads for easier flight
And are sadly meeting their own holocaust.
We think of the roadkill of larger creatures: deer, rabbits, raccoons,
But insects such as butterflies and Honey Bees
Are slaughtered every year--
The butterflies as they migrate
And the foraging Honey Bees,
Innocently traversing from their human-made hives.
1925 was the beginning of road ecology science
And we humans, because of our vehicles,
Have invested millions in the prevention of creature annihilation--
Tunnels, wildlife bridges, speed limits, warning signs--
But the Class Insecta individuals remain ever in peril.

How Our Eye has Fared in the Jump from Sea to Land opus 401

Did you know we blink 15 times a minute,
Or in a 16 hour day, a fantastic 14,000 times?
Why? Well we evolved from our fish cousins!
In a watery habitat, then shifting to terrestrial open air,
It demanded many compromises which needed to be 'fanangled'.
The optics of water, the protection and nurturing of water--
To move to land was an incredible move.
Because of this, humans have inherited many terrestrial challenges.
Remodeling an aquatic eye to a terrestrial one,
Resulted in no small set of needed adaptations--
Blinking, eyelids acting as windshield wipers,
Nictitating membranes to facilitate flight and hunting,
The evolution of nocturnal living to evade hunting dinosaurs,
Then reversing to a diurnal lifestyle for many, after their demise,
Our ability to see color (cones) vs sensing day and night (rods),
Our inability to see UV in which so many other fellow creatures revel,
And now, more--myopia--perhaps due to increasing screen time,
Plus the fact our children do not get out enough in natural light
Which seems to make an important difference for this condition!

My Only 'Authentic' Sermon! opus 402

My first Antioch College Co-op Job in 1964
Was in Eminence, Missouri, working in the Pioneer Forest,
Established by an Antioch grad many years before,
Where this grad, Leo Drey, wanted to upgrade state forests.
After buying thousands of acres of marginal wooded lands,
(Utilizing his complete inheritance from his parents!)
Which had been virtually raped of White Oak used for whiskey barrels,
(The cells of this wood were such that barrel leakage was blocked),
The management plan was to girdle all old trees,
Releasing space for the pine subclimax to be harvested years later.
My tool was a moderately dangerous double-headed axe!

This was during my religious phase of life,
So I recreated with 12 year old boys (older children were absent),
Searching for arrowheads, exploring the river;
Interacting with my mentally damaged hotel mates from two wars;
As well as involving myself in the local Methodist Church.
One Sunday, the minister called me aside
And invited me to give an evening sermon--
He said, "I think you have something to say,"
I reluctantly agreed and began my preparation.
I had been reading Kalil Gibran's 'The Prophet',
A story about a prophet who announced he was leaving the village,
Creating anxiety, because the citizens had never solicited his advice.
He was then asked many questions about life.
One subject, which I used, was about children--'You are the bow
And they are the arrows, sent out into the world.'

Well, the evening arrived, and I delivered my 'sermon'.
The result was quite overwhelming--
The minister lined up the congregation to walk past me.
They each shook my hand and offered greetings,
Several actually crying as they passed by!
As a 19 year old, I was obviously overwhelmed and moved.
It was an evening I will never forget,
Although, in the end, I finally became an Evolutionary Biologist!

My Chickens and Chez Panisse Restaurant opus 403

I started my polyculture 'Research Farm' in Davis, California, in 1978.
I had completed teaching and research
In Turkey; Lesotho, Africa; and Uppsala, Sweden.
I had no vehicle yet, so I bought delivered animals from newspaper ads.
After a year or two, I began raising white Cornish Cross chickens en masse.
(I also raised various ducks, turkeys, and Embden geese.)
With incubators and divided areas in my barn,
I started chicks, delivered through the Post Office,
(A practice started, I believe, by Benjamin Franklin, himself!)
In weekly groups of 100 day-olds.
For the chickens, my market was the famous
Chez Panisse Restaurant in Berkeley, California.
The owner, Alice Waters, had created 'California Cuisine',
Utilizing a restaurant garden just outside her back door.
As her restaurant grew, she sent out 'Foragers' to suss out product.

One day, such a Forager appeared on my farm.
He had heard about my poultry and asked for a 'sample'.
I gave him a bird to return to Berkeley to test it out.
A few weeks later, after I learned they had done blind tests
With Rocky-the-Range, a Pennsylvania product, and my bird,
They wished to buy my birds (50!) each week.
I agreed. We captured birds in darkness each Monday night--5 pounds live, only!
Tuesday morning I loaded up the caged birds at 5:30 AM and drove to Stockton.
There I unloaded the group, off to slaughter as they came out of the cages,
Chatted with the slaughterhouse owner concerning future loads,
And returned to my Davis farm (70 minutes) to commence the day's work.
This went on for about 20 years with my lazy white 'free range' birds,
When I learned of a red Cornish Cross (all were secret hybrids)
Which had been 'discovered' in Germany by a Canadian group.
There were finally two producers in California--one of which I chose.
I told the restaurant my plan, as I had discovered
That the red variety truly walked around in our summer heat.
They agreed and I changed over my whole flock,
Which took several weeks of raising up the new 'reds'.

Well, things went along for a few weeks with the new group,
When I suddenly received a call to come and talk.
The chefs found the meat of the reds was too firm!
They wanted the old 'whites' back again.
I was in a quandary, deciding what to do.
They were advertising a 'free range' product
And I knew that the reds were exactly that.
The meat was firmer, of course, because they ranged much more!
For me, it was an ethical question in advertising.
Even though it was very difficult for me business-wise,
I had no choice but to stop producing for Chez Panisse Restaurant.

A small business, especially farming,
Is always with a perpetual challenge to survive!

Butterfly Massacre--A Sequel opus 404

Barely within a few hours of emailing out my 'Butterfly Massacre' work,
Comments started drifting in--some writings do that and some do not,--
This one hit a nerve conveying comments such as:
'You are right on the money. We see the butterfly slaughter
Almost every year here in Texas.' (Texas)
'This is brilliant, Frank! Thanks for sharing.' (Illinois)
'Going over a Colorado pass, we encountered masses of butterflies,
Not Monarchs. They were more gray. I suspect we killed thousands.
I was sick. We were both horrified.' (Iowa)
'Oh, Frank, so true. We are, as a species, a blight on the so-called
natural world.
If we could just realize that the natural world
We so blatantly dismiss is what keeps us alive.
For how long is anyone's guess. Thanx my friend.' (California)

There is a soft spot with humans concerning butterflies--
Not soft and fuzzy like a Koala, but beautiful and gentle fliers.
My second son, Basil, who often comments wryly on my Thoughts,
Queried: 'Will this not simply lead to a gradual evolution
To higher flight paths of the surviving migratory and other insects?'
This observation may not be out of the question!
Studies done on wing length of Cliff swallows,
Nesting under bridges and continually avoiding cars,
Evolved shorter wing lengths, resulting in quicker maneuvering.
Shorter wing lengths yielded more survivors--
Could higher flying, during migrations, allow for more butterfly survivors,
Encountering large numbers of vehicles?

A Regrettable Decision? opus 405

{I do not write this as a criticism, but rather as just a future question,
given the difficult and often tragic situation in which Israel
continually finds itself.}

At the present time a never before phenomenon is occurring--
With the horrors of Gaza, many Israeli Jews are deciding to leave their country.
Since 1948, continual conflict, death, and constant disorder has obtained.
By adding a group's theology into the sea
Of an 'antagonist's' territory it seems no rest will result.
Will historians of the future be studying the question:
Was the creation of the State of Israel
Possibly be one of the most regrettable decisions (for all)
Made by basically compassionate thinkers?
In one hundred years what might be the majority opinion?

Challenges opus 406

We are now, regrettably, truly witnessing
Many adumbrations of pending planetary chaos (challenge?):
Food production, transportation challenges, new needs for shelter,
Extinction of many fellow creatures and plants,
Increasing range of disease, survival with rising temperatures,
New needs for nonpolluting energy sources,
Now even new rotation times for our very own planet,--
(The melting ice becomes increased weight of water at the equator),
All will be presenting a new existence for humans,
As well as for all companion flora and fauna on our planet.

The Homeland opus 407

The great flaw of many humans
Is the desire to return to their origins.
Unknowingly, the neighborhood has often altered,
Yielding an early dream into a continual nightmare.

How Long a Bully? opus 408

There was one who bullied his way into the presidency.
Now with unforeseen events, there is another,
Like Boudica (Victorios Queen), a Celtic Queen of the Iceni,
Comes to the fore, not with a sword, but an honest, strong tongue
Which might just shame the bully to a shrivelled heap.

Friday Night! (An 83-year-old's Perspective) opus 409

A long day today with chores and calls.
Just finished shopping in town--all on electricity (plug-in hybrid!).
Now I am back home and spacing out.
Thinking about what Friday nights used to be--rushing here and there--
For pleasure or some sort of entertainment.
Now, at 83 this month (!), I am content to relax and think:
Of my children and grandchildren and our future--
Just picked up a book 'The Heat Will Kill You First' (Goodell).
My house is 82 degrees at 1800 Hours and AC is not on.
Ready tonight to do a letter or two--
More fundraising for my Quail Ridge Student Endowment.
Small tortoises ready to be brought back into the living room--
Raccoons out there at night!
Two hens guided into their little coop for protection.
TV news coming on--Kamala--a Boudican Celtic Queen!
Mail to sift through, sending out small donations here and there.
Had squid for lunch--perhaps now just an egg with a sip of Sake?
I am moderately content--wish for more family contact.
Oh, I just received in the mail a 'Sitting Liberty' 1860, 50 cent piece,
Retrieved from the famous SS Republic shipwreck (1865)--
I am enamoured with the history of our coins.
I used to put a tooth under my pillow, anticipating a dollar.
'Dollar' comes from our first using money from the Netherlands
Before our own mints produced 'homegrown' coins!
(Dutch 'Daalder' comes from the original German 'Thaler'.)

So much for thoughts--see how an experienced old man's mind works?

A Deceptive Account opus 410

Three hostages returned from Russia in the middle of the night.
The President and VP were there to welcome them.
After the greetings, the elderly President entered the parked plane.
A myth started that the old President entered an 'empty plane',
Thinking it was his Air Force One.
So incorrect. Obviously he entered to compliment the pilots,
As well as congratulating the seven staffers remaining in the plane.
Unless one does a little checking and uses some common sense,
A completely false recounting might always be believed.
BEWARE!
Falsely misleading one's opponents to gain power
Is continually an increasingly negative phenomenon
We must now sadly live with in an ever-complicated existence of lies.

My Relationship with Horace Mann opus 411

"Be ashamed to die until you have won some victory for humanity."
This, of course, is a quote from Horace Mann,
The father of American Education in our country.
He started his work in Newton, Massachusetts,
Where I spent my first 18 years of life and attended school!
I had never heard of him--he was never mentioned in our curriculum.
I graduated from Newton High (now Newton North)
And went on as an undergraduate
To Antioch College (1964), Yellow Springs, Ohio,
The school from which my father also graduated.
Horace Mann was a president of the College (1852-1859),
Attracted because of its not being religious,
And, incredibly, that it was co-ed!

I spent five years attending Antioch, which included 'Education Abroad',
Teaching math at the Ecole d'Humanite in Goldern, Switzerland.
The school was quadrilingual, so I worked on Italian, French, German,
(and English).

Back on the Antioch campus, I continued to pass by a small obelisk
Bearing the Mann quote cited at the commencement of this essay/thought.
This quote has penetrated my thoughts throughout my life.
I have created (40 years) an educational, polyculture farm;
Have begun a land trust, Quail Ridge Wilderness Conservancy (35 years);
Created the Tartan Stone (25 years), commemorating Scottish Americans
Of whom I discovered I was one--connected with the first king of
Scotland (Alba).
(These Tartan Stones are housed in 35 state institutions)--
The creations were all manifested with a mallet and chisel,
Similar to my Pictish ancestors--great early (500 AD) stone carvers
of, now, Scotland.
Through all this, Horace Mann's admonition urged me ever forward
And still, even now, permeates my 83 years' actions and thoughts.

Our Preferences of Beauty opus 412

I was asked why some people consider butterflies beautiful
And not other insects or, indeed, many other forms of life.
Understanding beauty is the result of familiarity and appreciation:
This is a result of a good teacher--parent or other--who describes
The wonder of the evolutionary process forming an organism
And the complexity of the incredible detail of such subject.
Consider the huge group of Coleoptera (beetles),
Manifesting an amazing array of color and shape.
To the uninitiated, these 'bugs' could be considered ugly and dangerous.
There are others--snakes, bats, mosquitoes, crustaceans, bees, skunks--
And so many more, which make up a large list.
It all comes down to a complete understanding and admiration of function
And the necessary depth to which one might possibly be submersed
Into the complete and 'true' feeling of what beauty really means!

Another Twisted Bit of History opus 413

One side claims that Kamala Harris is now the 'Border Czar',
'No progress has been made and the 'Czar' has failed.'
Actually she was sent, not to fix the problem at the border,
But to look into and remedy the problem originating from the source--
Just why so many are streaming to our border.
She followed through, partially remedying some 'source difficulties',
With a resulting measurable decline in the displaced numbers!
For any problem, one must inspect the origin of a phenomenon
And not always attempt a remedial bandaging
Far from the source of the flowing spring.

Hear Me Dear People opus 414

If one from a certain much metamorphosed party
Gains the upper hand,
It will not be only the 12 million who will be deported,
But also those who oppose his regime.
Beware of the pending danger.
Voting, if it survives, may be our only salvation.
    (Anonymous)

A Shot and Then a Fire! opus 415

Home from a wonderful session
At Surgery with Dr. Alali, my oncologist.
(13 August 2024, 1630 Hours.)
He is from Iran and is writing a book
About Darwin's relationship with that country.
My CLL, blood cancer, seems to have just disappeared!
Home and parked in my drive and checking the mail along the road.
A very loud shot blasted my ears from the south
And a second later my nearby waste bin and I were peppered with shot!
I called out several times, "Do not shoot. I am here!" No one there.
Deciding to move out of the line of fire,
I drove to the house, when I heard a crackling of fire--
My northeast berm in the line of fire--was leaping with flame.
The slight wind was from the south--away from the house.
I rushed into the house, retrieving, computer, meds and keys.
Someone had called the closeby fire department,
So I lingered and watched, ever cognizant of the wind direction.
We had mowed some of the berm, so flames at first moved slowly,
Then raged forward along the northern border; when, finally out.

Relieved, damping up occurred, and then talks with fire- and sheriffs.
I was strangely calm and 'took it as it came'.

Called later to see that they would check for embers after dark.
Communicated to a few others about the challenging happenings,
Then rested and did just what I did after my African elephant attack years ago--
I relaxed and went into a much needed sleep.

My Scottish Connection opus 416

After discovering my Scottish origins and connections,
I have worn a kilt (or tartan) for many years.
From my Pennsylvania MacCalums, to the Stewarts, etc,
To 'way back to Kenneth MacAlpin, a first king of Alba.
Before donning my tartan, I was obliged to do some research.
I discovered there were tartans for families and clans
And, additionally, for districts, states, provinces,
Highway patrols (eg California), to celebrate centennials,
As well as generic tartans, worn by anyone with no Scottish connection!
One also has the choice of the historical great kilt,
Or the modern tartan, designed by an Englishman!

The history is massive and totally intriguing (and tragic),
So I will conclude with Tartan Day, commemorating Scots.
In Canada and the United States, the chosen date for Tartan Day is 6 April,
Honoring 6 April 1320, when Robert the Bruce and his nobles
Signed and sent their Declaration of Arbroath to the French (!) Pope,
Asking for the recognition of Scotland as a nation and to be free from England.
Among several documents, Thomas Jefferson used the Scottish Declaration
As a model for the U.S. Declaration of Independence.

During one of my Scottish visits, a young land reform activist remarked to me,
"The wearing of the kilt is a symbol of historical,
Cultural resistance and contemporary cultural regeneration."

Suas Alba! (Alipa) Up Scotland!

An Old Biologist's Plea opus 417

It is August 2024, with now enough evidence accrued, to realize
What our children and grandchildren will face
Living on an ever-challenging planet,
Due to the accelerated human pollution of our air and seas.
Climate changes have occurred many times on our dynamic home--
Sea temperatures and the rise and demise of trilobites and their cousins;
The change of African forests to grasslands,
Giving rise to bipedalism in human evolution;
The mini ice ages of Europe, affecting crops and survival;
But none of these changes equal the accelerated transformation
Of what we have caused and will be living through while alive on our earth.

It is just plain happening so comparably fast,
That many will not admit we are slowly cooking like the proverbial frog.
When will we, as a world population, realize this
And reduce the many frivolous 'fun' trips and activities,
Motivating ourselves into a greater group
To slow down and perhaps reverse the ever-violent storms;
The methane-melting tundra with sinking villages and roads;
The rapidly incinerating forests consumed by fire;
And the warming, carbon-acid seas with all those implications?

Let us now reduce our activities of play and amusement,
Going into action to organize and educate and vote,
Perhaps preserving at least some of our known way of life.

Just a Passing Thought opus 418

Are you familiar with the (Thomas) Jefferson Bible?
It is housed in the Smithsonian Institution.
He literally cut and pasted the four Gospels into a 'Jefferson version'.

Many religious variations and reformations have occurred in history.
Judaism has branched into several 'denominations',
Including Orthodox, Conservative, Reform plus others!
Islam has yet to create a true religious reform--
But certainly has two orthodox forms.
(Perhaps a reformation will emerge from their American experience.)
Christianity, of course, has subdivided into many denominations,
Plus has experienced a very serious Reformation--Catholic to Protestant.

My thought is, why has there not been a modernization,
Dealing with the Christian Old Testament?
In 325 AD, The First Council of Nicaea (Iznik, Turkiye),
Guided the contents of the Old and New Testaments;
Other accounts were relegated to the Apocrypha.
For instance, might the Old Testament be edited for modern Christians
To modify or eliminate the Kosher laws (Deuteronomy 14:1--21);
Edit the two descriptions (Genesis 1 and 2) of the creation stories to one;
And eliminate Deuteronomy 13:1--18 which describes
The destruction of a complete village, along with all living things,
If those inhabitants have turned away from belief in the true god?
Of course much would remain for the modern Christian,
Such as the beautiful poetry of the Song of Psalms
And, naturally, the various prophecies and most of the histories.

This would be an interesting and perhaps important project,
Making the Christian Old Testament more modernized and relevant.
Read with a possible new viewpoint,
Realizing what conclusions you might consider.

Just a passing thought-----.

A California Saga--Freezing! opus 419

I have lived and farmed here in Davis for decades.
In the 80's the winter task was to wrap pipes,
And cover plants, preventing freezing.
On the plus side, I skated with my two boys on one of our fishponds!
Never, would we have envisioned a warming, changing so much.
Now it is drought, fire, and water challenges--
Wells, once dug to a depth of thirty feet,
Are now obligated to excavate to hundreds (200 then 400)!
I am near the end of my time on this earth--
How, in 'god's name', will my offspring
Cope with these huge, rapid, human-induced changes,
Manifesting, on the once climatic 'golden age' of our planet we so loved?

The Consequences opus 420

Thoughtlessly, we forged forward with our 'civilizing',
Innocently seeking an ever-more comfortable and profitable life.
From the excessive waste, resulting from our mindless exploits,
We all are now paying our dues,
Obliged to face and cope with the empirically obvious consequences.

Technology May be Our Salvation (At Least for a While) opus 421

We are working towards human habitation on the Moon and even Mars.
Without technology, there is no possibility of such an occurrence.
Here on Earth, will some life at least, be 'salvaged'
Through our future innovative technological climate change inventions?
Ironically, soon, survival on our Earth,
May be synonymous in methodology,
With our inventive exploits for outer space!

Who's Got Milk? opus 422

We humans are mammals--homeotherms (warm blooded),
Hair, and mammary glands, producing milk for offspring.
The milk in mammals is for strong, early growth.
No mammal consumes milk as an adult--
Oh, except some adult Homo sapiens!
Humans, as always, attempt to 'outwit' the system.
Northern Europeans, especially,
'Discovered' milk as an additional food source.
The problem was adult lactose intolerance--
By attempting the imbibition of milk,
Many became very ill or actually died!
Those who remained, were the progenitors of our dairy industry today!
Ah, once again, Nature, through evolution and its natural selection,
Has manifested its strange outcomes,
Which baffle the uneducated and ignorant non-thinkers.

Afternoon of my 83rd Birthday (Train of Thoughts) opus 423

Guests at 1700 Hours have departed and I sit alone
By my small pond in a gentle breeze.
Quiet, with a bucolic sense all around.
A Great Egret patiently fishes, then slowly rises up and disappears.
Recounting my birth certificate, recording the time I emerged into the world--
0115 EDT--if daylight time had been created then (it had--March 1918).
That would mean the exact time of 83 years,
Would have been 2215 Hours PDT on 24 August 2024.
Funny how things shift around our planet.

So, at 1100 Hours, Pierre's and Basil's mother, Christine, came to celebrate!
When your ex-wife comes to truly visit, you have done something right!
(I think she might be a little bored, lacking a challenging
conversation now and then.)

Then Pierre (son) and Julia (his wife) and belatedly Rebecca (a friend)
Tumbled in for a moment of greetings and tumbled out, just as fast, to
Burning Man.
Christine and I were left with cake and South African Gem squash and figs
To discuss for a full four hours--she was to stay only for one or two.
Reluctantly on both our parts--so different in life's orientation,
I had to send Christine on her way into the five-o'clock Sunday traffic.
A very nice interaction of two, who seldom interact.
How wonderful if Kamala and Trump and their followers
Could interact in such a peaceful and sane manner.
This was, indeed, a thoughtful and meaningful meeting of two differing minds.
Thank you, Christine, to take the time and be tolerant enough
To propose, to expound, to contemplate and allow the possibilities of compromise,
Which could exist in a world of needless, non-empirical debate.

When All Have Departed opus 424

All have departed from my 83rd party.
It is gently and deadly quiet--
So much so that my tinnitus
Is suddenly dominating my auditory spectrum.

Solitude opus 425

There are many (most?) of us who feel overloaded with tasks--
And many (most?) fantasize for a schedule with lots or total free time.
Then there are those who have almost all total free time,
And, bored, desperately wish to have a schedule and tasks
Thus feeling relevant and productive.

The real choice is to understand and then be creative, managing one's time.

Norumbega ('Belonging to Norway') -- The Site of Vinland? opus 426

My father (and mother) loved to go fishing,
So he took us all (mother, John, Susan, and me),
To the Charles River (named after Charles I in 1614--
Charles was only a prince then, but explorer, John Smith
Had expectations for the lad--who later lost his head--
And then came the wicked Cromwell and thereafter,
The exiled , enlightened son, Charles II.)
(This is why the new British king is Charles III!)
Lots of history where I grew up--
I shall attempt to control my being an historiaphile!

At any rate, we often fished near a 40 foot fieldstone tower,
Built (1889) to pay homage to the supposed Vinland--
A Viking fort and settlement (1000 AD) started by Leif Erikson.
As children (and once as a returning adult) we, now I,
Often climbed the spiral staircase.
The Tower still quietly stands surrounded by comforting trees.
The fishing usually produced a sunfish or bluegill--occasionally a catfish.
Our family also enjoyed, at other times,
Norumbega Park's amusements across the river.

Later, in High School (Newtonville), I took classical double bass lessons
At the Newton Music School in one of the eleven 'Newtons'.
Our 'final exam' was the School's public outreach,
Performing Edvard Grieg's Piano Concerto in A minor, op. 16.
This was my first public performance with a large audience
And it was played in the very famous Totem Pole Ballroom at the Park.
(The Park itself survived from 1897 to 1963--the Ballroom, from 1930 to 1963.)

This Ballroom was to come twice again in my life,
When my first love Seta Derhohannesian, a senior,
Invited me to the Newton High prom,
Followed by Susan White, who accompanied me for my second senior prom.

Years later, for my 50th High School reunion, I returned to the Park,
But now (2008), I stayed in the Radisson Hotel now on the beloved Park's site.
The hotel's position was near the two bear cages I remember from childhood.
That year, while there, I looked up Seta and spent some lovely
innocent time with her.
We talked birds, as she was just starting some serious birdwatching--
I remember, hearing for the first time, in my hometown, Newton,
A Cardinal's vocalization--they have shifted north resulting from the
Climate Crisis!

The Park was a focal point--not planned-- throughout my life.
It was called one of the many 'trolley parks' from the 1890's,
Where many parks were created for business at the end of a trolley line.
This park at that time, and little known to me, had been declared
New England's finest amusement park--including the Totem Pole Ballroom
Which heard the music of Miller and Dorsey echoing through its walls.
I truly have lived a life surrounded by wonderful history,
Which has obviously nurtured my mental ontogeny!

The Canaries We Need to Watch opus 427

Our world farmers are the canaries in the coal mine.
Already we are noting that many are moving to more favorable climes,
Or, if impossible, leaving food production altogether,
Or, if possible, forsaking their traditional crops
And experimenting with 'new' xeric plant producers,
Or transporting themselves with their crops to more northerly climes,
To maintain themselves until the ever-increasing temperature
Forces them to a further unknown way of life.

The Afterlife opus 428

Humans, having the ability to contemplate the future,
Have struggled for millennia to comprehend
The seeming finality of the end of life, named death.
To compromise the anxiety and fear that the state of death manifests,
Many rituals and beliefs and philosophies have arisen in history:
Burning the body, leaving it to be consumed and decay, interning it in
the earth;
(Many Muslims bury down and to the side; other groups bury straight down)
If of status, wrapping it as a preserved mummy,
Or embalmed forever on view in a mausoleum.
Along with all this are serious beliefs, clinching what may occur.
No matter what conditions humans will face,
The question of death and what new world may unfold will be perpetually with us.

Where has HAVE gone? opus 429

I am a biologist, having evolutionary theory as the basis of my science.
My late wife, Lenora, was a linguist with its own theory of evolution.
When I complained about some language variant,
Such as, "Where is the station AT?",
(I worked abroad nine years and had never heard such),
She gently reminded me that we both each 'have' our own form of evolution.
Yes, she was correct, but how might she react to the loss of 'have' now?
The tenses of 'to have', are 'have' (present), 'had' (past) and 'have had' (past participle):
FOR 'They have gone to the store' NOW resolves to 'They ' gone to the store'.
OR ' I have seen that many times' BECOMES 'I ' seen that many times'.
OR from a black announcer (on NPR!), 'What do you seen?' FOR 'What have you seen?'.

I find this a new, innovative variation with our English language--
Do listen for this, just for fun, and watch to hear you utter it yourself!

Crunching a Singular into a Plural! opus 430

Having struggled and attempted learning six languages over my lifetime,
As well as having a linguist wife, Lenora, for 31 years,
I listen carefully and with interest concerning changes in our language.
An interesting one is popping up with greater frequency--
For example, 'We have ALL accomplished this OURSELVES',
Is now 'corrupting' to, 'We have ALL accomplished this OURSELF',
(Also, incorrectly, 'It is a story WE tell OURSELF')
Contrasted correctly with, 'They EACH considered it THEMSELF'
(singular with singular).
I guess the conclusion might be, it is easier to blurt out 'ourself'
vs 'ourselves'!
Hmmm.

Sole or not a Sole? opus 431

Some laws of religion are being used in a profound conflict
With the Hippocratic Oath of 'Do no harm'.
Is there indeed a soul and when is it implanted in the new blastula?
The obliteration of a sane, humane law, which had aided women for 50 years,
Now looms large, to reveal great suffering with no helpful health care.
I seem to remember an ancient religious Egypt pharaoh banning reproduction,
Which finally resulted in the realization of a population collapse.
I recall from former reading that the regime was eliminated.
Historically real or not, have we created our own 'Egypt Syndrome',
Where our women will slowly be eliminated
Through their own deaths and lack of reproduction,
Yielding an ever-declining population to NOTHING?

Several Modern Sources for Instant Death opus 432

We are living now in a world where the unknown moment of instant death
Is completely possible, leading to nervousness, fear, weariness,
And sometimes just plain defiance.

Russia has continually bombed the Ukrainian people;
They never know where the unjust explosives will land.
But in spite of all this, the brave people have become weary but defiant.

Israel is retaliating from a cruel Hamas attack,
But now the innocent Gaza population is herded and bombed; herded and bombed--
To the extreme that the 'eye for an eye' has reached an unequal tipping point.

Now, suddenly, in Lebanon 37 are dead and thousands maimed from pager
explosions.
Two children near the pagers are amongst the dead.
Israel has admitted (at least to the US) that they are behind this
possible war crime.
After a second day of random explosions, the Lebanese population is in turmoil.

How can we all stand by, helplessly, and witness such heinous acts?
The 21st century began with such positiveness and now look at us.

Two Canaries to Watch opus 433

I have just finished writing about how our farmers are the world's canaries.
One example in California is the prediction--already seen occurring--
Is that it will be impossible for fruits and nuts to be profitably
produced in that state.
Are they certain? That is the nuts and bolts of California agriculture!
In Yolo County, where I live, funds are slowly being diverted to agave,
A drought-tolerant plant to produce alcohol for Tequila to rival Mexico.
Surely we might come up with something which is a little more 'noble'!
(By the way, because of the drought, California might revert to hydroponics
To be able to continue raising tomatoes!)
With the loss of major crops and the dwindling aquifers,
Will California just revert back to the semi-desert
Which the European pioneers first 'discovered'?

Now jump to the east and Pennsylvania and their potato crop.
Potatoes are a sensitive crop, which in Pennsylvania,
Are confronting higher temperatures and excessive rains,
As well as struggling in 2016 with a newly identified bacterium
For which there is no cure (soft rot).
All these factors will be a challenge to the potato industry
Which produces chips, fries, and many other potato products
For and from the state.

As an aside, Pennsylvania MacIntosh apple trees are being removed
(The days are not cold enough).
These trees may be replaced with peaches
Which (temporarily?) might improve production with the warmer weather.

A footnote from neighboring Michigan: Several northern tribes have decided,
Because of a warm, dry winter, to let the sugar maples rest this coming season.
Will this continue to obtain with all these climatic changes?

Google and research the myriads of agricultural challenges
Occurring around the world -- It is mind-blowing.

To No One opus 434

In my youth you taught me your strong ways.
I was tolerant and interested and did not repel you.
You made it clear when showing me your dishware--
If I were to come and share repast,
I would be forbidden to use that dishware.
That was my introduction to your eating laws.

Later and older, I was talking with a female teen,
Who was plain to view, but nicely intelligent.
Her mother entered and cleared out all but me
And announced that my ancestors had destroyed Jerusalem
And I was never to become close to her daughter.
I was shocked, but innocently agreed with what, I was not certain.

Attempting dating, I was snubbed once by other parents
When I arrived to pick up their daughter for a dance.
At my fiftieth reunion I heard the same story from a fellow male student.

(I donated my hand carved stone for the new high school building!)

Much later in my seventies I returned from far away
To the general territory and people with whom I grew up.
I was kindly invited to the home of a now fellow elder.
They kept the laws to which I was introduced so long ago.
When we took repast, I found I was eating off a paper plate!
This to me was another blow going way back to that girl's mother.

Now I watch and have watched since 1948,
The constant battles and the taking of territory
With that reinvasion, 2000 years later.
Yes, there have been great injustices,
But is all this worth it to either side and to their innocent children
Who know nothing of this history and are just taught to suffer and hate?
Guilt is very powerful and sometimes can be misled
To an erroneous and painful conclusion.

A Good Intention, Drowns Some Hopes opus 435

I taught Biology at the University of Lesotho, Africa,
For several years.
While there, I befriended a Swiss fish farmer,
Who in all innocence created a large fish pond,
By damming up a donga or deep crevasse,
Formed from excessive erosion.
The countryside was riddled with these long, deep wastelands.
The intention of my Swiss friend was to create
An aquaculture industry for the country.
In this case good intentions ended in disaster.
One of the challenges was to teach a landlocked nation to eat fish,
But that was not the route of these troubles.

One late morning an alarmed villager quickly knocked
On the doors of our campus.
Three teenagers had slipped down the steep,
Muddy banks of the new pond,
Struggled into ever-deeper water, and had drowned--all three!
What to do? Villagers had been digging away for hours at the dam.
Their intention was only to lower the water and retrieve the bodies.
It would take days. No one wished to, nor was really able,
To swim and recover bodies in the muddy water.
Suddenly (and long before I became an aquaculturist),
It hit me, there must be seines nearby which were used for fish harvesting.
One long one was immediately employed and our 'fishing' commenced.
Soon, sadly, the net was drawn onto the bank,
And three young bodies were seen in this netted tangle.
Their arms were frozen in a painful, as if reaching-for-air position,
Their fingers and ears had been badly nibbled, feeding the innocent fish.
The whole operation had been sickening with a terrible tinge of tragedy.
The campus rescue teachers quietly returned home.

Coincidentally, the University had an outdoor swimming pool
For teachers and their guests. The school was far from a town or city,
And perhaps the designers of the campus felt
The pool would help entertain foreign, urban staff.
So, then, teachers, being teachers, invited students to learn to swim.
However, also at that time, a native Mosotho
Was chosen as the new Vice Chancellor.
The VC, perhaps in a surge of nationalism (?), closed down the pool.
He viewed it as a western, useless pastime.
This action took place just after the staff volunteered
To recover the bodies of those drowned teens.
True, nets were used to retrieve the victims,
And no swimming actually occurred,
But if those three were able to swim--an unknown skill--
The horror of that day would have been just an hypothesis.
The rightful feeling of the Mosotho concerning foreigners
Taking only seeming pleasure in the pool--
Opposed to considering the good being done
By innocently teaching swimming--
Draws out the conflicts of one culture benevolently imposed on another.

If the fish industry were successful and many dongas were aqueously filled,
Swimming would have become a natural ability,
As well as adding fish -- a wholesome protein source for the people.

African Origins opus 436

I revel, remembering that I had lived in Africa,
Teaching, but also living amongst its people
And other indigenous creatures.
I have also paid visit to the Leakeys' Olduvai,
Where our species' origin may have arisen.
Being there for a time, overwhelmed the spirit
And edified the incredible realization of our origins--
The Sistine Chapel in the Serengeti Plains,
Situated deep in a gorge of the Great Rift Valley.

Kris Kristofferson -- A Look-A-Like? opus 437

People I met in the 80's and 90's would often say,
'You look like Kris Kristofferson!'
I even had an encounter with a gentleman
Who traversed a large parking lot to verify
Whether or not I was indeed the great star!
All this amused me, but I was never sure just why.
Kris has just died at the good age of 88.
Upon checking on who he really was,
Impressed me beyond belief.
I had thought he was just a film star, but no:
Football player, paratrooper, helicopter pilot, boxer;
A Rhodes scholar, studying Shakespeare and William Blake!
He was disowned by his military parents,
For leaving that institution to write songs.
'His songs were like short stories.'
One of his quotes made me feel great kinship:
"I am a songwriter, but I'm also concerned with my fellow human beings.
And I'm real concerned with the soul of my country."
In the end, he had profound short term memory loss,
Something which for me, would be devastating,
But he persevered and was productive to the end.

I may have looked like Kris Kristofferson, but in my now older age,
I deeply understand that looks alone are meaningless.
He and I have some similarities in our accomplishments,
But in spite of his great fame, I would have still felt comfortable
To sit with him and juxtapose our philosophies together.
Kris, you are a great example of a human using your full potential, honorably.

A Leaden History opus 438

Most of us are aware of the silent death and quiet ailments
Due to the Romans' elaborate plumbing systems, using lead pipes
To shift water throughout their civilizations.
They did not know, but lead is one of the most toxic elements in the
Periodic Table--
A great idea, using an easily malleable metal to connect their water labyrinths.
Today, an equivalently brilliant idea using exciting color
To make a spice more attractive for increasing sales,
Has lead (led, no pun) many into a horrible health problem similar to
that of the ancients.

Bangladeshi women and their children in Flint, Michigan, and in NY City,
All had relatively higher levels of lead in their blood,
Causing lead-related health problems and death.
Why, these people from this part of the world?
Much sleuthing and research, but no clues at all.
Finally, a female Californian researcher decided to actually go to Bangladesh--
No lead paint on their tin houses, no lead-painted toys,
No lead in molded pots, no food with direct lead poisoning.
What then?

Wholesalers of turmeric began using (1980's) lead chromate powder
To brighten the color of the yellow spice.
Then later, when floods blackened the turmeric roots,
Even more lead chromate was freely used on the harvest.
This boosted sales of the artificially yellowed product,
But it was literally poisoning the people of Bangladesh--
Who, sadly, were also privately importing this product to the US.
Studies were done; miraculously the Bangladashi government stepped in,
And this poisoning dropped to almost 0%.

Today, more research follows looking at other spices, cosmetics, and
painted toys.
There is much to be done to ferret out this lead terror--
It pervades our societies, utilizing 7 percent of our US gross national product,
With a global cost of $6 trillion, all coping with lead.

Who would have known? What else lies out there undiscovered?

An Unexpected Roll! opus 439

A few days ago I had just rolled in; back to the farm
With a new implement tucked in the back of my old Honda.
Stepped out for a second to make a check--motor still running.
I turned, realizing that somehow the vehicle was slowly rolling forward!
Attempted at 83 years to jump back into the front seat to hit the brake.
Too old, too slow; holding on, attempting to reach the brake;
Partly dragged; stretching my arm towards the brake!
It just isn't going to work--I must let go, still being dragged.
Some pain and weight on my right calf.
Lying on the gravelled drive, I see my leg--
Almost a foot split open, parallel to the bone--
Nothing broken, just butchered!
Assessing--not much pain (shock?) and little blood.
Organized things for my departure to drive to Emergency.
Now, ready to go with a towel-wrapped leg.

Wheeled into the ER, greeted and ready to be sewn up!
Considering the circumstances, it was a pleasant time--
The worse, being the many numbing jabs in preparation.
All turned out well and I was able to return home
At 10 PM on my own steam.

The one outstanding question I do remember from the many--
"How did you get here?"  "I drove myself."
"YOU DID WHAT?"

The End of Yet Another Golden Age? opus 440

We humans have lived through a climate golden age.
With our ever greater success in most things,
We increasingly traverse the world,
Slowly carrying viruses and bacteria with us.
With the human population-increase throughout the planet,
There accompanies an increase
In ever-more confined protein sources to feed us:
Feedlots for cattle, tiny coops for multiple chickens--
Our gallinaceous protein source--,
Ever-more fish farms, confining magnificent salmon.
These confined populations,
Ranging from humans, to our 'fellow-food creatures'.
Exasperates the increased possibilities of transmissionable disease:
Look at bird flu just now in our dairy cattle herds--
Milk still drinkable, yet affecting the caretakers.
Henry Ford's production line increased efficiency,
But that crowding was with the joining of metal and fabrics--
Crowding life with ever-more 'food producers' is not the same.
Some of the oldest forms of life--bacteria and virus--
Are constantly mutating, waiting for a new source of life-support.
(Remember, virus are part of our ancestry and DNA!)

This is the wonder and power of evolution through natural selection--
The thing called life, maintaining a hold on life,
In an ever-changing environment requiring constant adaptation.

Sports - To Be or Not To Be opus 441

I am no great follower of sports.
I see them on the one hand
As a human diversion, watching grown people,
Usually making several million dollars,
While batting a ball from place to place;
Often, in some sports,
To pound the opponent almost to death
And, as we well know,
Delayed death has also sometimes occurred.

On the other hand, the excitement and surge of adrenalin,
May divert the aggression of some people
Which might well avert physical harm on fellow humans--
Although it is well known that spousal abuse
Occasionally occurs following a lost football game.

Whatever might be the correct hypothesis,
Sports are here to stay, making millions for some
And filling some obvious human need,
The huge support manifested by the crowds.

Alex Salmond (Former Scottish Prime Minister) opus 442

So many around me are passing on their mortal coil.
This, of course, is because of my age of 83.
I just learned of the passing of Scottish Alex Salmond, 69,
Who fought politically so fervently for Scottish Independence.
I met Alex in San Francisco, while he reached out to California
To increase Scottish trade with the world's 6th largest economic entity.
Alex loved horse racing, so our meeting occurred at a Bay Area race track--
Including kilts, talk of Scottish history, scotch,
And a display of my hand-carved stones.
There, I made a presentation of a small stone carving,
Depicting a knot overlaid by the Scottish thistle.

Days later, Upon Salmond's return to Scotland,
I received a wonderful, much treasured thank you note, from Alex,
Expressing his warm thanks, praising my ancient carving methods.
Alex Salmond will truly be a part of Scotland's continual attempts
To be once again an independent nation-state,
And I am so proud to have known him.

Columbus Was a Jew? opus 443

After more than two decades of research,
Scientists have confirmed that Christopher Columbus
Was a Sephardic Jew from (Spain?) Western Europe.
(Sephardic is derived from Sefarad, meaning 'Spain' in Hebrew.)

Oh dear, I hear it coming now from both sides--
Of course the expressed pride of the Jewish people,
That such an important historical person was 'one of them',
And conversely, that it had to be a Jew,
Who caused the opening of the New World,
With its consequential destruction
Of those two continents' native peoples.

Just wait and see--perhaps everyone will leave 'it' alone for once!

No comment!  F.

Sally Sobottka, My Friend opus 444

Sally Sobottka appeared in my life sometime in the 80's,
Attending a Quail Ridge land trust fund raising dinner on the Reserve.
She expressed her strong devotion towards environmental needs
And within months she became a Quail Ridge board member.
For many years, she worked to further the land trust's efforts
To reach out, manifesting education, stewardship, and preservation.

On Thursday, 10 October, Sally quietly passed away amongst her family.
She and I had, in later years, often chatted on the phone,
Since neither one of us was very mobile.
To the end, Sally continually expressed her love and devotion for QR
And reminisced about her times walking amongst its wonderful flora.
She shall be missed--were there more of her ilk.

Frank

Time Slowed to Almost a Standstill opus 445

The Greenland shark may reach an age of up to 500 years,
Now recognized as the longest living vertebrate animal.
They grow as little as a few centimeters per year, up to five meters,
Reaching four meters and sexual maturity at 150 years old.
Because of the excessive fishing before WWII,
There appears to be no sexually active adults living.
The sampling so far has found only sub-adults,
Implying that it will be another 100 years
Before the population might start reproducing once again!
This is a severe example of how human activity
Can negatively affect another creature's well being
And a reminder of the delicate balance required
To sustain such incredible life forms.

There was Chicxulub and now Nadir? opus 446

Why can't freakin' science just leave things be!?
We are aware of the 'Chicxulub' meteor, 66 million years ago,
Leaving a 124 mile-wide crater under the Gulf of Mexico's
Yucatan Peninsula, and basically wiping out the dinosaurs.
(But, of course, birds are still around!)
As has been assumed, this asteroid acted alone.
But wait--another 5 mile-wide crater, formed at around the same time,
Has been found off the coast of West Africa and named the Nadir Crater.
The rim of the crater itself is about 9,200 meters wide,
With 22,000 meters of concentric circles called the brim.
The approaching 450-500 meter-wide asteroid became a fireball,
Hitting the Earth at about 72,000 km per hour.
Along with this was a 70 magnitude earthquake.
Of course, it is unusual to have two large impacts so close in time,
Both occurring at the end of the Cretaceous period,
The period when the dinosaurs became extinct.

Today Bennu, about the same size as the Nadir asteroid,
Is currently the most hazardous object orbiting near Earth.
With a probability of 1 in 2,700, Bennu could hit Earth about September 2182.
By that time the art of nudging asteroids out of orbit may be totally
perfected!?!

The Longevity Bottleneck Hypothesis opus 447

For a long time now, humans have sought a longer life span.
Some slow progress has been accomplished.
There may be, however, something in our deeper past
That has caused our lack of accumulated years.
The name for this has been dubbed the 'Longevity Bottleneck Hypothesis'.
Because dinosaurs found the newly evolved mammals to be quite tasty,
The predation on these small, fuzzy creatures gradually increased.
For more than 100 million years dinosaurs were the dominant predator,
While mammals were usually small, nocturnal, and short-lived.
Thus dinosaurs 'forced' mammals through predation to lose or inactivate
Genes and pathways associated with long life.
In other words, rapid reproduction was more adaptive for survival!
Remember, this is an hypothesis,
(A scientific theory has to be proven from many valid hypotheses),
So it is not accepted by all, but just like the efforts to reactivate the dinosaur tail
In a chicken, reactivation of our 'longevity genes' might result in a similar consequence:
Are we really accomplishing beneficial outcomes--creating little 'chicken dinosaurs',
Or perhaps worse, thousands of really old people who may lack productivity?

Water, Water Everywhere, but For How Long? opus 448

When I returned to California once again in 1978,
The purpose was quite different in that I was to be a small farmer.
The way I looked at my environment was indeed also quite different.
I already knew that this state had at most very few months of rain
And that agriculture depended mostly on its many aquifers.
These waters had remained eternally deep under the Earth's surface,
Until about the early 1900's when the first deep-water wells invaded below.
I also knew that California had no regulations
On well construction and the numbers thereof.
Thus, it struck me deeply during my first forays into ag land,
Witnessing field after field being watered with a torrent of sprinklers.
My first thoughts went deep down to the unseen aquifers below,
Wondering how long this kingdom of agriculture would survive.

Thankfully, 10 years ago, to most, the invisible
Sustainable Groundwater Management Act was passed,
Which started to regulate the amount of water taken out
To match that which comes in.
Lands taken out of agriculture are now harboring
Native species of plant and animal, as well as buffering flooding.
More recently, added to this was the Multibenefit Land Repurposing Program,
A support plan for the transition toward a smaller irrigated footprint.

The great question is, of course, are these efforts far too late,
Or will those in charge be able to make definitive decisions--
Or will food demands, economy, and political party mantras
Overwhelm reason and empirical evidence guiding outcomes,
Driving our way of life, as we know it, to simply collapse, unnecessarily?
I have witnessed the loss of historical forests in eastern Turkiye
As well as loss of the water table in now parched lands of India.

A Marine Fantasy opus 449

In a dream of my long past, I built ships.
We sailed (and rowed!) from one island to another,
Each hidden from view by the curvature of the Earth.
If we were careful in our construction we arrived safely--
Of course storms were often a deciding factor.

To construct such a vehicle there were no nails--
Each plank was cut and fitted to the next.
We made small holes along the planks
And literally tied the future boat together.
(We thus simply sinued tight the planks.)
Along the joining margins of these planks of wood,
We sealed each line of joint with pine pitch,
Ensuring, as best we could,
The future seaworthiness of our vessel.
Our floating creation led us into our unknown future,
Much as all decisions made by each of us,
Lead us into the unknown of life,
Ready to meet the ultimate unknown of eternal darkness.

Political Order opus 450

In order to make good POLITICAL decisions for a SOCIETY,
There needs to be a strong, unifying CULTURE.
After which that SOCIETY must work in its best unison,
Resulting in strong, just, POLITICAL decisions for that population.

POLITICS out of that sequential order,
Results in disharmony and possible dictatorship.

My Neanderthal Past opus 451

I often think of those Neanderthals from my past;
Wondering just who coupled
With my first Homo sapiens mother.

Life Adaptable! opus 452

We live on a planet that rotates and is tilted in relation to its star (sun).
This, of course, creates day and night, climate, seasons,
And incidental weather.
Basically, then, we survive in a world of circadian rhythms.
'Circadian' means daily cycles within our 24 hours.
Our planet originally had a four hour cycle,
Until slowed down by the newly formed moon.
There appear to be many 'Goldilocks' planets which are 'tidally locked'--
In other words, have no rotation--
Rotationally frozen by the near proximity to their sun.
The conundrum created is a planet with eternal night and day.
Can life survive with continual darkness or absolute light?
Could there be a migration from dark to light, allowing rest and regeneration,
Creating a 'circadian' clock in space instead of in time?
Is sleep or rest actually needed for life to survive?
On our own planet, life occurs in complete darkness
In caves, in the sea depths, and within our own bodies!
Additionally, sea life thrives here in complete darkness
Next to boiling, chemical vents.
There are a myriad other ways that cycles could be created,
But the main point is that relentless life may be found
In almost any type of unpredictable situation.
We must be ready for the most bizarre of things to be,
And also to have our very comfortable theologies be shattered.

Time Revisited opus 453

Humans have created an illusion with the measurement of time.
Today, Daylight Savings Time (DST) ended at 0200 Hours, pushing the clock back.
Announcers and others cried out joyfully, "We have gained an hour!"
Likewise at autumn-time an opposite lamentation is heard.
Are we really so completely brainwashed?
Humans, as well as other Earthly life,
Are locked into a circadian rhythm coordinated with the sun.
Before the invention of clocks, no conflict occurred.
With clocks, humans could just coordinate more precisely,
But still not challenging their circadian rhythms.
Standard Time (ST) is basically coordinated with the sun and our bodies.
And it must be emphasized that light exposure is vital
For the health of our circadian rhythm and its proper functioning.
Most, including farmers, worked from sunup to sundown.
The clock often extended the work day from dawn to darkness,
But the circadian rhythm was not challenged or shifted.
Then, because of the rationales of war, farming,
And school children walking in the dark,
The subtle biological conflict of the sun vs clocks began.
With the artificial creation of Daylight Saving Time;
Nice for many now 'having' long summer evenings,
But, as warned by many psychologists, detrimental
To our cryptic, but very real circadian rhythm.

Now politics enters to raise its uninformed head;
Always considering votes, business, and a feeling of control.
Two years ago, I sent an email to all 50 senators,
Warning them of the pending chaos, if a free-for-all were allowed.
Only two states have thus far legislated for only Standard Time--AZ and HI.
If future states choose just what they desire, permanent DST or ST,
Our country will be a chaotic mosaic of time changes,
And, we do this not fully understanding the detriment to ourselves
Which manifests our normal circadian rhythms
Grinding against a seasonally changing time,
Part of the cycle being unhealthy for our very well being.

The Right-Handed, Left-Sided Elbow Phenomenon opus 454

If you have paid attention to someone conducting a public speech,
There are a few who seem to get a little emotional
And the left elbow starts to wave gently in and out.
I am assuming this occurs as a release of tension.
But why the left elbow?--I am deducing the speaker was right-handed.
I have no proof of this, but only 10% of us are left-handed,
So I conclude that I have not yet noted this with any lefties.
I am sticking my neck out with these observations,
But I have seen enough to come to an uneducated conclusion.
To go even a bit further, I believe I have seen the phenomenon
More in women than in men.

OK, check me out on this--
TV announcers and politicians make good fodder.
And please, try to observe something else equivalent of interest.
It is actually quite fun and keeps one's mind
On what could be an otherwise very boring speech!

Yet Another Plight of Women opus 455

'We' retreated from Afghanistan
To the detriment of its women.
Now we have chosen a leader
(Once again!)
To the detriment of our own women.

Having two 'X' chromosomes,
Women are genetically powerful,
But when will their societal power
Be rightfully honored?

Alien Enemies Act of 1798 -- 'Operation Aurora' (Trump) opus 456

In 1798 the new United States was facing
A possible 'Quasi-War' with France;
An irony, as they were the ones who bailed us out,
During the revolution with Britain!
On 6 February 1778 during the Revolutionary War
The US and France signed the Treaty of Alliance,
Which set up a military alliance between the two
And aided the Americans and their cause against the British.
But in 1793 a war between England and France commenced,
Causing John Jay to negotiate a trade treaty with Britain,
Increasing trade between the two and averted war again with Britain.
However, France saw it as a violation of their 1778 treaty with the US,
Jay now giving preferential treatment to Britain!
Also the US refused to continue paying the Revolutionary French debt.
In 1796, France started to harass US merchant ships,
Which also sparked the creation of the US Navy.
France tried to bribe the US delegation attempting peaceful negotiations,
In the so called XYZ Affair, which created anti French chaos at home
And the creation of the 1798 Alien and Sedition Acts intended to keep
Foreigners (French!) living in the US from influencing American opinions.
It was Napoleon in 1799 who stopped the French hostilities with the US
And in 1800 a treaty was signed ending the undeclared war.

Much more history ensued, but this is the Treaty,
Desired to be used by the 'new', incoming US administration of 2025.
The questions now to use this in the present day
Require answers from our present conservative Supreme Court:

--Are we at war--a point which is in the Treaty;

--What can we do legally with immigrants with several stati;

--Using this Treaty, are actions subject to abuse in peacetime;

--Are immigrants part of an 'invasion' or 'predatory incursion';

--When can the president act without a congressional vote
  (The Constitution gives only the Congress, the power to declare war);

--Could noncitizens be treated as prisoners of war;

--Could the president proclaim a rhetorical invasion;

--Could there be a non-literal reading of the Act--
  To invoke the unlawful migration and cross-border narcotics trafficking;

--Is there any way in which this Act could be used outside of war?

There are many other questions which must be answered.
I await somewhat in trepidation to witness what will unfold.

A Scottish Influence opus 457

Early America fought a Revolution against Britain--England and Scotland.
To address the royalty of England, one said, 'Your Majesty',
Yielding the power to the royal figure,
While addressing Scottish royalty, one said, 'My Liege',
Reminding the royal that the power was to serve and protect the subject.
This latter tradition derived from the clan system,
Where the chief was responsible for his people.
Whether or not it was conscience in the Founders' minds,
The final decision to have a President or a King,
Most likely was a result of the Scottish mindset and influence,
Where the President was to serve the people,
And not have power over them--
Yes, to serve the country and its people,
Through the ultimate power--that of the Constitution.
Even in these tumultuous times, most desire this tradition to maintain.

A Superfluous Opinion opus 458

I received a donation to our student endowment
With calligraphy very bold, plain, but attractive.
I assumed that the male donor's wife was the writer--
This was of course with the assumption
That this was a 'woman's craft'.
I thus questioned him concerning his wife's contribution.
Oh no! He had been a draftsman
And thus his accomplished writing style.

How wrong a superfluous opinion can be.

Ancient Artists Proved Right! opus 459

We have all loved the beautiful cave paintings
Made thousands of years ago.
Deep in dark caves, illuminated by torches
To enable the artists to complete their works.
Of many, one stands out--that of the Wooly Rhinoceros.
An incredible, strong depiction, but with a hump,
Emphasizing a great arch on its back.
Was this created out of an artist's imagination
Or were these creatures endowed with such morphology?
Recently a Coelodonta antiquitatis
Was pulled from 10,000 year old permafrost.
It was in Yakutia, Siberia, and what do you know?
The body exhibited a shoulder hump,
Proving that the ancient artists were more than accurate.
The humps with their lipid stores
Did indeed aid the rhinos through rough,
Challenging winter months.

Zebra Stripes opus 460

Zebras have stripes not for 'normal' camouflage,
But to be more invisible to biting flies!
How do we know? It has been researched.
To jump to an 'obvious conclusion' only
Is not fulfilling the needed human empirical conclusions,
We must all need to study and follow--
In all things.

Strange Footprints opus 461

Strange footprints in the hardened sand;
Seemingly the correct stride for a human,
But rounded anterior ends and crisp margins all around;
And indentations where strap attachments met the sole.
Yes, the dimensions were consistent with those of hominin tracks.
The track makers appeared to be from juveniles or small adults.
There is no final proof of actual shoes
Found from the Middle Stone Age--yet--
But surely why not--sandals would have been a lifesaver
From foot lacerations on a stony substrate!

Perhaps this apparel worn by us now
Is similar to 'theirs' so long ago!

Shortsightedness? opus 462

We recently voted for our own personal pocketbooks--
But have we opened a greater Pandora's Box,
Far beyond anything most would imagine?
How might Adams and Hamilton have argued this one?

Attempted Robbery opus 463

We all have seen reenactments of various robberies--
Banks, stagecoaches, in an alley, during war.
But have you actually been a part of and felt what it was like?
Around August 1973, I was on home leave from my African teaching job.
I was half way home in Rio de Janeiro for a stop over,
Spending an evening at the theatre, then walking back to the hotel,
where Pierre, my first born, (three months) and his mother were waiting.
I decided to take a short cut behind the main thoroughfare.
Walking in a lighted, but narrower area between buildings and the river,
I was commencing to pass by two 'guys' leaning against the railing.
As I passed, they suddenly confronted me with a small, silver pistol.
We spoke different languages, but I knew what they were demanding.
I was larger than they, so I talked, holding out my arms to appear large--
Just like Konrad Lorenze (an ethologist) had done, confronting a barracuda,
To ward off the giant fish while scuba diving--
And it seemed to work as they impatiently waved me on.
After saying 'Obrigado' I moved away, but decided on a strategy;
In case they tried to shoot me in the back,
I ran with a premeditated zigzag to avoid a clear shot.
No shot occurred and I was most relieved as I rounded a right corner.

Was I afraid? As I remember 50 years later,
I was seized with adrenalin and tenseness, but not with fear.
It passed through me as an extreme event in life
And not a pending tragedy with possible wounding or death.
No matter what, it still remains vividly in my memory.

My Neanderthal Kindred opus 464

While reading 'Kindred' by R. Sykes,
I felt very close to my Neanderthal cousins.
She relates the anthropologic reality of our past fellow Homos.
I began to fantasize what I, as an early hominid,
Would feel upon meeting my first Neanderthal people,
As I, much later in time, migrated out of Africa.
These were heavy-boned beings, hirsute, but upright as I.
My relative hirsutelessness and lighter skin, contrasted me
From these other fellow hominins.
Would I have been afraid, alarmed, or felt a curiosity in a similar creature?
Our communication or language would have undoubtedly been 'foreign'.
But our stone abilities and methods would have been similar--
Both of us have learned 'developed' stone knapping over many eons.
Both of us hunted and chewed the skins for softening in a similar manner.
Both of us had art and perhaps felt the same about caves.
Would we have been attracted sexually
To someone who was exotically different?
We know now from the DNA evidence
That there were a few who overlooked the differences
And left the fascinating DNA trail we witness today.
All I know is that 4 percent of my ancestral past
Overcame prejudice and dislike to form a 'romantic?' bond.

My Outer Body--A Petri Dish for Cancer opus 465

When I was young, eight decades ago,
Parents simply sent their children out in the sun--
No prep, no concerns, no worries of future consequences.
Most likely today, I suffer from the sun's delayed anger--
Freezing with liquid nitrogen, multiple biopsies,
And surgeries therefrom;
Slow healings being observed to monitor progress,
Combined with concerns of what was next.
Such is much of my last tier of life.

As a result of this torment of lighter skin--
An evolutionary result of necessary vitamin D,
Homo sapiens having migrated, darker skinned, out of Africa--
The trade off was between darker skin and needed vitamin D.

Today, in a park or on the street, meeting blond, hatless children,
I gently remind their parents of the great need for a hat and sunscreen,
So these innocent ones do not go through my plight.
To emphasize the point, I remove my hat, lean over,
And display the bald spot on my crown, formed from serious surgery.
I replace my hat, state I do such because I care for them
And move on under our life-giving sun to my next episode.

My Verbal Rambles with Regan of Texas opus 466

Hello, Regan, It is the middle of the night and my mind still races.
For the stores, prohibiting those distinguished guests with bare feet,
Just sew some of your own moccasins for your shopping experience.
COMPROMISE WITH TRIVIAL MATTERS, BUT STILL WIN.
Glad Ms. Caroll is mending.
Just had part of my head amputated for cancer.
Had a jovial time with the surgeon. We know each other well.
I have used guns on the farm now and then--rats!
(I hunted one deer with a bow for three years and succeeded--THAT is sport.)
My brother, 20 years old, was shot in the back from a long distance,
So no sound was heard--he just dropped next to his hunting partner.
I opposed the Vietnam war and was vindicated
When MacNamara stated before he died that it was a 'wrongful' war.
I have historical schizophrenia with guns and war.
What fun we could have discussing over a good ale!
I would even go barefoot to be accepted in your presence in that bar,
If you so insisted, and of course if they even let us in.

I am alone for Thanksgiving, so I am planning a simple repast
Of Taters, Nips, some good Scotch, and of course Haggis.
Are you familiar with such?--with the ignorant, a bad reputation,
But so delicious--no different than a wurst or a humble 'hotdog'.
All include, historically, everything left on the floor and walls. . . .
And we eat that stuff at our national pastime. . . .
So why does everyone dump on Haggis???
Damn, it would be nice to have a good face to face with you.
And in between chats, I would help you wrangle up some Fallows
For shipment to some rich Texan rancher with 12 oil wells!
(We need those rich extravagant ones to keep us peasants in business.)

Be so well!!  Frank.

A Prayer for All Tyrants opus 467

Will an angel of mercy come down
And numb them into immobility?

Our Gladiator History opus 468

Our early species eventually lived in small groups.
Violence was usually occasional, but real.
Later, male Homo sapiens ritualized warfare in 'theatre'.
Cultures even used heads of the vanquished
As a ball, to play games of sport.
Then came the Romans and the gladiator era.
Often slaves or conquest-ones fought and died for status.
Crowds of fellow humans came to watch their usual demise.
Today, many participate in war games and reenactments.
Also, we delight and enjoy our (generally)
Bloodless but very competitive sports.
And we add to all that the vicarious entertainment
Of films and 'pods' depicting violence of one sort or another.
Why is it, fascinated drivers slow down and gawk at traffic accidents?

I sadly conclude that we are a species which basically and really,
Enjoys even vicarious violence upon each other.

A Health Nut, Falling? opus 469

So, we are soon, to perhaps again, have a Kennedy in government,
Chosen to lead the US Department of Health and Human Services,
But so different from his family history. His concept of medicine is bizarre.
An opponent of vaccines, wrongly accusing them of unhealth.
In the past, Benjamin Franklin lost a beloved son,
When he decided not to innoculate the boy for smallpox.
He lamented that decision for the rest of his life.

How many will needlessly die, following this intended appointment folly?
After many deaths, will humanity once again right itself?
Why are we, admittedly a restless species, so ready
To be so dismissive of our moderately sane medical legacy?

The Aurochs Permeates Everywhere opus 470

Aurochs fossils in Europe date back 650,00 years ago.
Thus, they then adorned the art on many a cave wall.
They were the creature declared by Caesar to be like an elephant--
An exaggeration but demonstrating that this was a dangerous beast.
Only a few were captured and tamed
To become the forerunners of our modern cattle.
As a result of early captive herds mating with wild aurochs bulls,
Four separate preglacial aurochs' ancestries
Are included in today's domestic cattle.
Aurochs of southwestern Asia were domesticated
In the Fertile Crescent north, 10,000 years ago, to 'create' the first cattle--
There appears that three distinct aurochs populations occurred in Europe.
This yielded great diversity in the wild forms of this animal.

Just be aware when snarfing your McDonalds hamburger,
That you are masticating the genetic remnants of an ancient noble beast.

My Ode to the Haggis opus 471

For many, 25 January is an important and meaningful date,
As it is the birthday of the great Scottish poet and lyricist,
Robert Burns (1759-1796).
He wrote Jeanie With the Light brown Hair, Auld Lang Syne,
An Ode to Washington, while his own country
Was fighting the new rebellious America,
As well as later, an Ode to the Freedom Tree
During the French Revolution--
This, while his country was opposing France!
A daring and romantic poet, taking many risks.
But on the lighter side, he playfully wrote the Ode to the Haggis.
Just what is Haggis, the 'national dish' of Scotland?
All cultures, being unwasteful of needed food,
Combined those animal parts, for us, sort of on the margin.
Wurst of the Germanics, Wieners (hot dogs) of North America,
And, of course, Mexican Menudo and Buche, both with small intestine,
And Haggis of Scotland--lungs, heart, kidneys, pancreas and so forth;
These traditional items combined are called the offal,
Collected by mainly amputating the esophagus
And pulling out all the attached organs thereto,
Then adding in those other goodies, such as kidneys and liver.
This mixture is diced, adding rolled oats, stuffed into a sheep's stomach,
(Remember, weiner material was stuffed into small intestines)
And baked to perfection--only combined taters and nips and Scotch are needed
To finalize the tasty combination--
So unwasteful and delicious, mated with the alcohol.

Just for fun, since I will be alone for Thanksgiving,
I have ordered canned Haggis to arrive soon,
Which I will combine with my purchased turnips and potatoes.
A half bottle of real Scotch awaits, sent to me last year by an old friend.
Quietly, alone, but not, I shall commune with Rabbie anticipating his birthday.

Search for Purpose opus 472

'Search for Purpose' is the title of a book by Arthur Morgan,
A self taught engineer and later president of Antioch College in Ohio.
Morgan thus later followed Horace Mann, the enlightened first Antioch president.
Under Morgan a work-study program--the Co-op Program-- was established,
Where students had to combine academics with real-world jobs.

At any rate, the book describes that purpose is discovered and created,
And that one needs to plan, always having several life pathways ready,
In case a first choice is not feasible to accomplish.
My choices were careers in music, religion, or biological sciences.
Religion dropped to a study of interest only,
While music was greatly fulfilled with my orchestral pursuits,
But the study, learning and fascination in biology won out.
Slowly, this evolved into field biology, conservation, and related
small farming.
After much thought and anguish, what I have done is now there and manifested:
An educational, experimental small farm, working with children,
A successful educational land trust,
Protecting open space which harbors native flora and fauna,
And a writing attempt to teach, provoke thought and preserve my
thoughts in life.
I guess my deep and most important activity, including the present,
Is to always stimulate thought in others to question and understand
Why we are here in our condition and to relate ourselves to human and
natural history.
It has been a challenging, but fruitful sojourn during this one-time experience.

Email to Doris, a Former German Farm Student Intern opus 473

Hello! Yes Ceilidh (Kay-lee). I knew right away what you meant.
You mean to say you were in Edinburgh and didn't just try Haggis?
Of course the English have a superior attitude towards the Scots--
(Just read a Scottish history which I find very demeaning and angering).
It is no mystery that they put their noses up concerning Haggis.
(I explain its contents in my latest poems.)
(I do understand why a vegetarian would balk at Haggis,
But no excuses, a vegetarian version does exist.)
Haggis has a nice, different taste and with Taters and Nips
And good Scotch (technically not whiskey), it is delicious.
All cultures, generally, have a way to consume more 'marginal' types of meat--
Just consider your Wurst and North American 'hotdogs'.
As with Mexican menudo (soup with intestines) and buche
(Fried intestine, often found in burritos, substituting lengua or carne),
I delight in the multiple textures and tastes which all this gives our palates!
I always have and always will continually experiment in all things reasonable.
No one has ever caught me complaining about any food (not including
monkey brain!!!)
That is why a cook loves to produce for me--no complaints. (Suggestions, yes.)

Well, once again you have been a catalyst for another verbal roll.
Canned Haggis just arrived in the mail, ready for Thanksgiving--
(Here, Thanksgiving is always on the last Thursday in November).

Be lovely and well, Frank.

The Beaching Enigma opus 474

Recently a pod of 30 Pilot whales beached themselves on a coast of Australia.
Many human volunteers rushed to the crisis with sheets,
Rolled each cetacean into the makeshift hammock
And floated them back into deeper surf to once again be free.
It is still a mystery as to why whales make this fatal mistake.

As a result of an educated, understanding human population,
Creatures who were hunted almost to extinction,
Now are rescued, with great effort, to continue to live.

The moral may be that an enemy or prey species,
Through education and understanding,
Can become an ally or a non-hunted one.
Compassion and realization and edification can make a difference
As to how we humans might at least relate to the rest of our world.

Pyramid Meditation opus 475

Two followers of the Maharishi of India and 'creator' of
Transcendental Meditation,
Stopped for a day in Istanbul, Turkiye, and shared their craft with us.
I was given a 'mantra' which began my voyage into alpha wave 'production'.
Even hospitalized in Turkiye, I meditated to the point
I 'experienced' levitation from my bed.

Later, on my African home leave, once again, in 1975, I stopped in Guatemala,
Wishing to seek out the ancient Mayan pyramids of the area.
Walking on the trail to the great structures at Tikal,
I noticed large holes in the barrier fences along the trail.
After visiting and experiencing the pyramids in daylight,
I fantasized a night visit to experience a moonlight pyramid meditation.
As planned, I returned after dark, utilized the holes along the way
And quietly climbed the long train of narrow steps to one of the stone
structure's apex.
The steps were formed narrowly, to obligate a climber to remain sideways,
Preventing one from facing straight towards the gods.
Alpha waves flowed freely and plentifully during that brainwave experience!
My memory of that view, flooded with moonlight,
Lives vibrantly in my old, but very crisp past images.

What a Difference an 'E' Makes opus 476

It has been determined that 'demure'
Is the chosen word for 2024.
This word has been used, but more,
Has been most often checked out for its meaning;
Thus being 'quietly modest', 'reserved', or 'serious'.
The final 'E' causes the 'u' to elongate to 'you're'.

The 'twin' with no final 'E' is demur,
Meaning 'to make exception' or 'object'.
The absent 'E' causes the 'u' to sound like 'purr'.
Without these 'rules', an unfamiliar speaker
Might not sound out a difference,
And thus might not understand the huge difference.

How many 'tiny' differences' in life
Do we encounter and navigate,
Often without a thought as to just why.
THAT is indeed something to contemplate.

A Ceremony Over an Opossum Skull opus 477

Humans have tended their dead over centuries in many ways:
Some burned, some left for the vultures,
Some buried in several configurations.
Are these customs instinctual, or learned through culture?

Well, I was walking around my pond the day after Thanksgiving
With my son, Pierre, and his son, my grandson, Rowan.
We watched wild turkeys in the sun, with their exploding iridescent colors;
We munched on the desert jojoba seeds, from shrubs transplanted to the farm.
Suddenly we came upon an opossum skull buried in the grass.
Rowan was immediately mesmerized, as we pointed out its morphology.
Quickly Rowan commenced pulling out neighboring grass blades
And tenderly laying these herbs over the skull.
He repeated this ritual several times, until we moved on.
As we were observing things farther from the opossum,
Rowan turned and walked all the way back to the burial site.
He then proceeded to pull more grass, further covering the skull,
Then returned to us to continue our observations.
He repeated this maneuver thrice more in the exact same way.
So sweet to see--a tiny four year old boy,
Crouching over an opossum grave, which he was helping to lay to rest.
It was then that the original question (from above) came to me--
Is this an innate behavior or something that just must be done?
I shudder thinking about the profundity of this query.
My mind drifts back to the time when Homo sapiens
Intermingled with Neanderthals, each species interacting differently
As to what is now known from their early cave habits.
It seems the Neanderthals possibly 'taught' Homo sapiens how to bury their dead.

I revel in the new knowledge we are gleaning
From modern technology and methodology.
But it seems my question still remains in the ether around us.

Story Telling opus 478

Story telling is a very human trait.
How a story is told, molds the strength or weakness
Of a person or group.
Families who know and understand their stories,
Produce stronger and better adapted individuals
Facing life's challenges.
So, talk with one another and be stronger (in life)
During your passage through time.

Scotexican Food Mix Proposal! opus 479

I was experimenting several ways
To combine Haggis with various vegetables.
One morning, just after Thanksgiving,
I combined cubes of turnips with the Scottish meat dish--
Juxtaposed and completely combined as a one food entity.
This, of course, was not very revolutionary.

Jessie, my Mexican-American wonderful farm helper,
Arrived for work that day, so I tried the combination on him.
We chatted about various other Mexican combinations using Haggis
With, say, okra, tomatoes, cucumbers, onions,
And even avocado and pineapple with potatoes
To create a blend of the Scottish meat mix
With a very Mexican vegetable cuisine--
And Eureka! We invented the newly branded 'Scotexican' food fare!

A Culturally Blending World opus 480

On the news this morning, it was announced
That the 'new' Syria, having just ousted its dictator (Asad),
Is even singing Christmas songs in their great joy--
Know what the carol was, chosen to be broadcast?--
'Feliz Navidad', a Mexican tune well known in the US!
So we have come to a Muslim country,
Celebrating by airing a Christian song in Spanish
To celebrate their hard fought-for political victory--
All influenced by a country--the US--
A multicultural friendly (basically) nation,
Attempting to be accepting of all diverse people!

A Note to a Daughter-in-Law opus 481

The murder of my two lovely hens by a dog(?)
Does not at all equal my sadness
By not being able to just plain
Talk with you and with your son.
Strange, I could talk with my two hens,
Even verbally, urging them into their shelter at night.

So, finally, I could talk with two sweet birds,
But not with a 'bird' who is human.

Ants as a Vector opus 482

A Pennsylvania eight-year-old boy thought he saw ants transporting
seeds to their nest.
This phenomenon is called myrmecochory and the seeds are with
Structures called elaiosomes which entice ants with nutrient-rich fats.
In the nest the ants remove the elaiosomes and leave the seed to later
germinate.
This helps seed dispersal as well as feeding the ants!
Instead of seeds, the boy, Hugo, had discovered the ants were
collecting oak galls.
(This basically rewrites 100 years of insect and plant interactive history!)
Galls are abnormal plant growths (often on oaks) induced by some wasp species.
The gall feeds and protects the larva growing from the wasp egg laid inside.
Oak galls have a structure named 'kapello' from the Greek for 'cap'.
These 'kapellos' (actually, 'kapelli') are also rich in fatty acids to
attract ants.
Similarly, the ants eat the 'kapelli', leaving the gall and larva inside intact,
Which once again gives similar shelter for the encapsulated intact larva.
Both phenomena either attract or exploit ant behavior.
The fatty acids in both structures mimic dead insects,
And ants, being scavengers, are attracted to what seems to be usual food.
This mimicry 'makes certain' these evolutionary strategies
Blur the lines between plant and animal adaptations.
Experimentation showed only similar ant behavior with the two structures.
If oak trees are lost, disruption would occur between ants, wasps, and galls.
This is another example of a vital ecological network
And that ecosystems are certainly interconnected.
We must preserve biodiversity, much of it by controlling the climate crisis.

Needless Killing opus 483

My thoughts suddenly flew back to the morning
When I was six--my mother insisted that they care for my rabbits,
On a winter morning when I always took care of my pets.
On coming home from school I witnessed
The scattered white hair over the ground--
My favorites, butchered by two neighbor Boxer dogs.

So, yesterday evening, as I walked out to urge my two hens
Back into their safe shelter for the protected night's sojourn,
There were leaves all over the area near their pen--
No. The leaves were feathers near two dead bodies.
I had raised these two from their tiny beginnings.
They grew and manifested into regularly ovulating adults;
So many eggs consumed each day, with extras offered as gifts.

It was only two hens, but it really put a hole in our lives.
The sack of feed was only half used--
The remainder went to supplement the three emu.
The morning routine to check water and food suddenly ended.
The evening no longer was a time
To guide them into their safe cat carrier shelter--
The dog(?) villain had beaten me by an hour to urge them to safety.

What to do now?
I pondered a bit; then, determined, I dry plucked them,
Carefully gutted each wounded corps, saving the giblets,
And gently placed their remains in the fridge.
At least now those bodies I had so carefully fed,
Will become part of my body as their eggs had for so many months.
To me this is a superior conclusion, rather than, demanded by sentimentality,
To just bury them in the ground or, worse,
To simply heave them into the mindless trash.

A Christmas Story opus 484

Some scholars say that Christmas
Should be celebrated in the Spring,
When Jesus was actually born--
They deduced this from the, then, star formations.

Be that as it may, a question does arise:
The Three Wise Men brought gold, frankincense, and myrrh.
Very valuable gifts, even in that time.
What happened to those gifts; where did they go?

Did the innkeeper come out and see the commotion,
And demanded a larger fee, even for a stable manger?
Was it tucked away for future use?
Did Joseph invest it in his carpentry business?
Was it robbed from them on their way home?
Was it donated to the poor who surrounded them?
So many questions, of which I had never before considered.

Well, we can ponder just what the son of god
And his family actually did with all that wealth.
Hopefully, at least, they did not invest it
With some greedy politician, ready to use for his own ends!

Did Humans Really Build the Pyramids? opus 485

Were the pyramids actually built by humans?
Many have wondered, contemplating the huge stones.
Djoser, pharaoh of Egypt's Third Dynasty, was buried
In the Step Pyramid of Djoser in Saqqara, Egypt.
It has been suggested by researchers
That a hydraulic system was used.
There were two shafts inside the center of the pyramid
In which water could flow in and out.
A pulley mechanism was used to raise the now lighter stones,
Allowing huge stones to be lifted up to 200 feet,
On a moving vertical platform!
This pyramid led the way, first using fully dressed stones,
Rising into the first pyramid shaped structure--
A revolutionary type of architecture.
This pyramid was built at the end of a watershed,
Allowing an adequate (to be further researched) amount of water
To be utilized for such a massive venture.
At the end of the moat is the Gisr el-Mudir enclosure for water.
This is combined with the 'Deep Trench' to form a water treatment plant.
At the same time, this entrapped water could also be used
To regulate flow for 'practical uses and vital needs'.
This combined system and pulley mechanism with a platform,
Was capable of greatly lessening the workload of the laborers.
Past evidence has demonstrated that these ancient people
Used hydraulics for building ports and irrigation systems
As well as, of course, more easily delivering heavy materials.

A Thanksgiving Tidbit opus 486

For more than thirty years my little 37 acre farm
Has raised many poultry, including literally thousands of turkeys--
About 600 per year, totalling around 18,000 birds.
The first year or so we, of course, had to work out the 'bugs'.
In December, after Thanksgiving had been celebrated,
I had a few calls, giving me feedback concerning our birds.
In general, the reports were excellent--wonderful taste.
All our birds were ground raised, with mainly healthy grazing.
The one issue, if there really were one, was dry breast white meat.
That was an unexpected report from several customers.
Now I needed to figure out just what created this phenomenon.
The birds were raised quite perfectly to my mind.
I concluded that the 'problem' was not caused by our husbandry.
So, what on earth could yield this observation?
After some thought, I homed in on cooking methods.
With our birds being ground raised, the lack of huge amounts of fatteners
Created a delicious bird that was leaner than commercial turkeys.
Turkeys are most traditionally roasted with the breast up;
This method is convenient because on its back, the body sits stably in the pan.
Giving directions concerning a breast-down orientation resulted in a
perfect product;
All the breast meat was bathed in body juices during the whole cooking time.
In addition, we created a guide with weight and time rules,
Keeping in mind that a lean bird must be cooked slower and longer,
With a reduced temperature to retain more juices.
After two or three years, there were nothing but continual raves.

A Catastrophe Causes Ants to Change Their Diet opus 487

When we imagine ants seeking food, we probably think first of sugar or crumbs.
But because of a catastrophe on the earth which occurred 66 million years ago,
Not only did dinosaurs disappear, but ants also were affected.
Large creatures on the earth's surface were incinerated away,
While smaller, fossorial creatures were often spared.
Of course I am talking about the crash of the meteor into our earth.
It greatly changed things on terrestrial earth, but also in the seas.
The survival of small fossorial mammals gave rise to creatures like us!
There are many stories to be told, but I shall focus on ants right now.
Most food sources for ants, including plants were burned to a crisp--
This major food for ants was, indeed, plants--so what to do?
Interestingly, masses of dead plant material became a major food for fungi
Hungry ants jumped right in and evolved to collect and eat fungus.
Thus today we behold our harvester ants common in many places.
So, a catastrophe and death knell for a major group of animals,
Created, through adaptation, a new food source for another.
The evolution of tenacious life on our planet
Continually strives to maintain the flow of protoplasm
At all costs and beyond the capacity of 'normal' thought.

Reaching Out to Those 'Others' opus 488

Many radio programs I have been listening to during this holiday season,
Ask that we try to reach out 'to the other side'.
Well, it took hold, so I texted my quick Holiday greetings
To both my closer friends, but also to those I have for several
reasons lost touch.
It is difficult to reach out to people who are adamant and unyielding.
I am truly in a quandary, but I shall send more 'innocuous' messages
And see if anything softens in our interactions.

How to be Bailed Out with Half a Turkey opus 489

As I have said before, I raised ground-raised turkeys for three decades.
I always ordered my day-old poults through the mail.
(I believe Benjamin Franklin started this system to aid beginning farmers.)
One year I received my batch of 600 poults and started yet another year.
Part way through the season, the young birds seemed unusually large,
And indeed, by autumn, they were double the normal size.
I had inadvertently received some sort of super breed!
What on earth to do--much too large for most of my customers.
So, as usual, I fresh froze them but cut and wrapped
The exceptionally large ones in half!
Then I explained to each customer what had occurred
And 'sold them' on how unique a half turkey would appear,
Lying on a silver platter at the Thanksgiving repast!
It worked and I sold every one--and I was VERY thankful
There were no complaints, but I made certain with the breeder,
That would never happen again!

Avalie is Coming to Visit opus 490

I have a colleague who announced he has a daughter, named Avalie,
Who had heard stories from him about me as a biologist
And wanted to talk with me
About biology, with which she has become very passionate.
I am very pleased and wait for her visit with anticipation.

I did ask her father what Avalie actually meant
And he replied she was named after a beautiful mare,
When she started her life in Kwazulu, Africa.
(She is as profound an African as her father.)
What a beautiful name--
Of Latin, British, German, Hebrew, and Persian origins.
Avalie is a modern variant of the classic name Ava.
Ava may have originated from the Latin 'Avis',
Meaning 'bird' or 'life' or 'living'.
Ava is often linked to the Hebrew name 'Hava', meaning 'life',
And the Persian Ava, meaning 'voice' and 'sound' or 'strength' and 'desire'.
Also Avalie has Scandinavian origins: 'Ava' for 'ruler' and 'lie' for
protection.
The latter name evokes a sense of power, confidence, and charisma.

Well, this is a result of some of my research,
Concerning this unusual and beautifully meaningful name.
This young woman, backed by such a plethora of nominal meanings,
Can only go upwards in life, with her studies and future profession.

A Saturday Morning Spass opus 491

I collect Neanderthal stone tools of various ilks.
I received, in the mail from France,
A chalcedony stone scraper
Which, with its pie-shaped 'sliver' and color,
Looked almost like the real thing!
Jessie, my helper, arrived to work,
Waiting for our planning chat.
I presented him with the cut 'pie piece'
On a plate accompanied with a fork.
He said, "Thank you', grabbed the fork
And 'cut' into the stone.
Of course, he realized it was a rock
And giggled with joy.
We all need more such experiences
To lighten our often mundane lives.

A Gaza-Israeli Progress Report opus 492

The last hospital in Gaza has been taken over and closed by Israeli troops.
Accusations claim that even the head doctor works with Hezbollah.
Will continued bombardments solve anything?--
Walls eventually stop no one and continual bombardments
Result in about the same--someone will always hold on in hiding.
True negotiations are desperately needed
And compromise of some sort must manifest--
Otherwise no 'progress' will ever see the light of day.
I wrote before, that 'an eye for 3000 eyes' is becoming questionable,
But now we must ask is 'an eye for 45,000 eyes' at all just?
Our violence is way outdoing, even our pugnacious relatives, the chimpanzee!

The Romantic Tumbleweed opus 493

The tumbling Tumbleweed--a Western cowboy song
Which many are able to easily humm.
But sadly, and realistically, this innocent plant
Is a voracious non-native invader from Russia.
Tumbleweed seed was brought into South Dakota
In the 1870's by Russian immigrants,
Contaminating flax seed accompanying them.
Millions of dollars have been spent
To attempt to eradicate this ubiquitous weed.
The song romanticises the poetic tumbling of this floral form,
When actually with each tumble,
It is distributing yet ever-more seed.
This physical means of distribution is devastating,
Engineering yet another non-native to spread throughout the West.

Things are not always what they seem until time often passes,
And knowledge with accurate facts becomes known.

One More New Year's Eve, Following Thousands opus 494

It is New Year's Eve and I am with the stone tools--
The stone tools I have been collecting--
Those of the ancient Neanderthal.
As I open each wrap, sent from France!,
I look at the stone, ponder its use, and then hold it,
As I visualize the Neanderthal, themselves,
Holding and working with each stone.
Is there any way that one might
Really fantasize a million years ago?
I feel so close to these people through their utensils,
Manifested in a scraper, a blade, a drill,
A cleaver, a handaxe, or a point.
The only thing missing is the cave fire pit
With many of us seated around.

A Positive Point Towards Talking opus 495

When we are actually talking with another,
Rather than via a modern electronic device,
Our heart rate might mutually increase, as well as,
Dilation of eyes, and increased similar brain activity.
Electronic devices do not often elicit these mutual reactions.
Thus, perhaps one might conclude that those who are truly aware,
Will never totally abandon good, and often necessary,
Audible conversations.
Electronic intercourse is not really a part of basic human behavior.

(The telephone still has the voice and its inflections,
So, as a 'needed' compromise, speakers have learned
To exaggerate the voice a bit to get their point across.
Emojis, concerning their attempted remedy,
Really fall short of this emotional communication )

Our National Mindset opus 496

It is not guns alone causing our chaos,
But rather a national state of mind, 'allowing' a source of violence.
As long as we elect leaders who use 'violent speak',
Our national mentality will increasingly shift from a loving, caring center,
To a state of accepting and even approving the violent approach.
(Greenland, to be taken over by our military?? etc.)

A Plural Transgresses into a Singular opus 497

ACTUAL QUOTES:
THEY will be able to do that THEMSELF. (themselves)
WE are already working on that project OURSELF. (ourselves)
THEY should be able to vote THEIRSELF!!! (themselves)
WE don't need to wait until the end of our LIFE. (lives)
If that occurs, THEY will all lose their LIFE. (lives)
No ONE has lost THEIR (for the proper 'he or she') HOUSES (house)
(trying to agree with the 'false' THEIR, when it is a singular subject).

I have heard them all--
Why is it we now use a plural subject
And end with a singular personal pronoun or object?
Is it too cumbersome and laborious
To use THEMSELVES or LIVES in our sentences today?
Have we come to the point where we just must streamline
So much so that we destroy grammatical agreement?
The plural is now transgressing into the singular and vice versa!

Prayer of a Viking opus 498

Oh, dear Odin, if it is the moment to be passed to you,
Please take me only with my weapon in hand,
And that it shall be swift, with little lingering.
The pain bothers me not, it is only
The wasted time, before I am able to face you
And melt into your compassion
And justice over your jurisdiction.

(Written by a modern, fantasizing Viking.)

Did Neanderthals Have a Feeling of Ownership? opus 499

I have now collected a good number of Neanderthal stone tools,
These from an old collection in France--tools 100,000 years old!
I hold each one, and feel how it might have been to skin a Fallow deer.
Many made of flint or chalcedony
Are more or less attractive in color and shape.
Some seem to have been more efficient in their task.
Some feel more comfortable when held, ready for the task.
From this I wonder if, as we might have behaved,
That there were 'favorite' tools, claimed exclusively for ownership.
'No, that is my tool--do not dare touch it.'
Did Neanderthals have a feeling of personal possession?
We now know they collected objects of 'useless' beauty,
Just for the attractiveness of the shell or stone.
By discerning beauty, did these people feel ownership
Of some of their stone tools?

Human's Success on Planet Earth opus 500

Have humans been so successful because of greater strength or intelligence?
Probably not. However, humans seem to be able to imagine a myriad of possibilities
And inventively combine them in ever-increasing ways.
We continually push boundaries; the driving of cultural evolution.
Other species use tools, modify communication, and innovatively harvest food.
But these changes are fairly static, with no radical transformations.
Humans accumulate knowledge, but also reinvent and expand its delimitations.
Our openness allows quick adaptation with complex sequences,
To solve pending problems as well as future challenges.
Many creatures have an evolutionary ceiling; humans seem to have no limits.
Humans have transformed their environment--other animals merely adapt.
This transformation is bolstered by the cycle of cultural accumulation.
The enigma of human's world domination is understood,
By comprehending our ability to imagine, thus creating a boundless future.

(Was this one of the reasons the Neanderthal didn't make it?)

The Racing Fillies. The Passing By of the Daughters opus 501

The two young mares race south,
Past the one old stallion having their scent,
Remembering them as young fillies;
Strong in their father's eye.

Now they graze and race as they wish,
Across the prairies of the world,
Learning, but not yet in their youth,
Knowing exactly where they may stable.
The stallion has whifted them on their pass,
And has missed their presence, but
Knows they will produce well for themselves
And the world.

The LA Fires opus 502

They watched in grieved silence as their church,
Then a synagogue, then a mosque burned to nothing.
Four major fires have ravaged, so far, more than 1200 structures.
Where is their god, to which many have sent earnest prayers?
In our wasteful life of comfort and ease,
Has the voice of god been all around, but has not been heeded?
Surely our collective inner voice has attempted to guide us,
But we are blinded by our votes and present way of life.
Was Carter's then plea, to reduce our use of energy overall,
And our public disdain and impatience with this visionary man,
The very voice which we should have,
Almost five decades ago, wisely heeded?

To My Two Sons opus 503

I am trying to be a very good Grandfather
For your sons (or nephews),
To make up for any inadequacies,
While being your parent.
I have a few years to fulfill this pledge.
Bear with me.

Love, Your Dad.

Our Future? opus 504

Oh, those of you who switched your votes,
Do you really know what you have unleashed?
Will we now be once again flooded continually with misinformation?
Check out the purchase of Greenland with all its new duties?
The declaration that Canada is the 51st State and all those duties?
Future steps to make women a non-reproductive entity?
Destroying the FBI which, with all its faults, does maintain the law?
Abolishing the Department of Education, which was an attempt
At more equal access to learning opportunities?
Reduction of food and fuel prices--both now reneged upon?
And god knows what else will obtain in this murky future.
Well, you voted for whatever, and we must now
All live with the consequences.

Those Illegals! opus 505

Are most illegal immigrants crooks and drug dealers?
Los Angeles is now an inferno--already 10,000 structures lost.
Sadly, six with more to come, have lost their homes and lives.
One homeowner, it is reported, remained to attempt to save his home.
He also battled for hours to stop a neighbor's burning home
From spreading to destroy his own.
Exhausted after several hours, he lay down in his house to rest.
Upon returning, he discovered a band of Guatemalan illegals,
Bucketing, in a line, water from a neighbor's pool to stop the fire!
He was overwhelmed and asked them why were they doing this?
This was not their neighborhood, nor did they know anyone.
They simply replied, 'our parents taught us to always do good
And this catastrophe is beyond and above us all for personal safety.'

Paper Whites Responding to the Rain opus 506

The rain used to come in November,
Bringing up the Narcissus Paper Whites,
But now with a shifting climate
Manifesting a new weather,
Our blooming season commences much later.
So, now January, and the real start of the beautiful,
Fragrant blooms
Around pond 12, where they have always come first,
Reminds me of Nora, who started off
Our flower project these forty years ago.
So long, dividing bulbs, continually burst open.
And such a scent, perfuming the kitchen
And reaching out as far as able.
Sweet scent; sweet memories.

A Haggis Repast opus 507

I dozed off to the pending news of our redundant politicians;
Such continual anger against almost everything.

I longed for a change-- something to put in my mouth.
Oh, the last portion of my can of Scottish Haggis.
Chopped into smaller portions, special oil poured thereupon.
Heated to soften the Haggis and yield a bubbling oil.
One of my last four eggs, held for a special occasion--
Eggs--the last--from my young hens--
Dog-murdered beside my house.
Now almost imbibing the heated oil-soaked meat,
I left it on my tongue to taste my Scottish heritage--
Washed down gently with not Scotch, but Sake--
A cosmopolitan repast at midnight.

Human Holding Pens opus 508

More and more we judge cattle holding pens as repugnant.
At present, we are witnessing a massive, burning-LA.
If cattle should not be crowded, waiting for slaughter,
Why do we herd humans together in a fire-prone complex,
Ready for the slaughter of a way of life--
The one way of life many only know.

A Love Dream opus 509

I woke from a soft dream.
I was with a soft one.
The best I had ever experienced.
I was satisfied that, with our blending,
I had given her the best she had ever felt.
All couples should have such mutuality!

The White-crowned Sparrow opus 510

Beautiful White-crowned Sparrow, so plain--as a sparrow should be--
But with those black and white stripes on your crown,
The contrast constantly catches my eye and attention.
So little to attract a human's gaze--just the same as those lines
Attract a desirous female, which is what they are supposed to do!

Tariffs--A Remedy for All Things? opus 511

We are told that tariffs will fill our coffers.
The truth is that tariffs are paid for by the receiving country;
Definitely not the country sending the product.
Any funds received by the 'tariffing' country
Are paid for by the citizens, who contribute
To the increased price of each item.
Prices will go up to cover the tariff and the tariff 'income'
Will go, in addition, into the treasury of the tariffer.
Will those citizens learn they are paying for this new 'tax'?
One more deception for what is really, actually occurring.

A New Country Called California! opus 512

Since I have come to California in 1978,
I have seen two attempts to divide the state
Into two or three separate and independent states.
Now there is a new initiative,
Signature collecting starting 23 January 2025,
That proposes a vote on whether or not California
Should become a free and independent country!
(This has also occurred in the history of this state.)
Perhaps some fear for the possible future of California,
Being part of an ever-more conservative world.
This is, of course, serious business for the state;
But to add a touch of humor to this pending vote,
I am wondering if the new national anthem
Will be officially sung in English or in Spanish?
Might it also mention that this territory is being
Now turned back to its original "European' owners?

A Child's Mind! 1 opus 513

Rowan, my 4-year-old grandson, visited today.
I had hidden a four inch wide metal 'ladybug' in the grass
For him to have a game to try and find it.
I told him it was his to take back home,
But, for the moment, all he wanted to do
Was to have it hidden once more,
So he might attempt to look for it once again!
He repeated this three more times, without tiring.
I asked him again if he would like to take it home,
Or possibly leave it at the farm
To hunt for it on the next visit.
It had a lovely red carapace with seven big white spots;
I thought for sure he would take it home.
Nope, he asked me to save it here
For his next round of 'seeking'.
I am never sure what his little mind will come up with.
We had such a lovely, meaningful afternoon.

A Child's Mind! 2 opus 514

After our 'ladybug' hunt, we, Rowan and I, looked at our thumbs.
I showed him they rotated around and could oppose all his fingers.
I told him we were the only animal with such a dextrous thumb.
He seriously looked down at his moving thumbs,
Then looked up at me and said,
"This is how I can pick up things so easily!"
We went on to discuss that monkeys cannot do such, as well.
I mentioned that monkeys also have thumbs on their feet,
But they were also not completely opposible.
I added that we had no 'foot-toes', because we are real walkers.
He looked down at his bare feet and said,
"We are really special, Papa Frank!"
I smiled with satisfaction that I got the lesson successfully across--
A new dimension in thought for my growing grandson.

A Child's Mind! 3 opus 515

Once again, my 4-year-old grandson, Rowan,
Asked me, as we were sitting in my cozy bedroom,
To make him his favorite 'cocktail' which only Papa Frank could make!
I am walking much slower now, following health issues and aging.
I got up and slowly walked to the kitchen to prepare his drink--
A mix of part water, part cranberry juice, and part orange drink.
(The only ingredient missing, which I make for his father,
Pierre, and for me is citrus-flavored vodka.)
Rowan followed me to the kitchen,
Where he watched me make his concoction.
Rowan again followed behind me, when he blurted out,
"Papa Frank, you walk as slow as a tortoise!"
I couldn't help but laugh and then turned to him, chuckling, saying,
"I love tortoises; I live with tortoises; and I am happy to walk like one!"

My Dear Childhood Friend, Frances Brown opus 516

Ah, Frances Brown. She was a friend of my parents,
But I was also included by her in our own friendship.
She had a deep chortle for a woman--early smoking?
She always had a nice middle-aged scent.
And she always paid attention to me when we were together.
She was the church secretary and wrote the chosen verse
In my new bible--'The man who builds his house on a rock...'
Her printing was impeccable and solid.

One adventure we had was a snowy trip to the Boston Symphony.
My father was dubious because of the weather,
But she laughed it off and said that her 'Bug' would make it fine.
It did make it fine, having a wonderful concert.
Afterwards I joined Frances and her husband, Morrie,
At their home for an 'overnight' and breakfast.
I remember the guest room and the fresh smelling sheets.

I always enjoyed, as a young one, intelligent adults.
Frances taught me about the 'older generation'
And that they had much to offer in their wisdom.
Frances is long gone, but I will never forget
Our comradely interaction and her kindness,
Helping me to grow into the adult stage of my life.

A Last Stage opus 517

Two days into a five-day rain spree.
No rain for all of January--a dry time.
But now all has suddenly changed--
Dark skies, cold wind, and a leaky ceiling to boot!
My days now--especially these presently are so different
From my past, busy and very productive life.
Sometimes it is hard to fill my hours,
But of course that is not really true;
I tend to my Betta fish, and feed lizards,
Check email, finish the mail returns, and have a bite;
Organize farm duties with Jessie, my 'man',
Then write what is in my head--
Juxtaposed with needed calls to help save my planet.
Evening comes and I can't bother anyone--too late for a call.
Such a different life from what I formerly had--
Farming, markets, fishing (with seines), flower harvest,
Educational boat cruises, and walks at Quail Ridge,
Constant fundraising, and creating an ever-new brochure.
How many more things, I might be able to recount.
My mind spins as I were at 40, but my body slows.
It is a dilemma I must absolutely get through,
But it is uncomfortable to be at all impaired.
I must make the best of things and do the best
That my weakening body allows.
I must stay in good spirits, not to turn off
My younger interactees.
I am full of life, but know that the end is slowly pending.

A Quick Thought to a Swiss Friend Late at Night opus 518

An active, restless, so far, night time
With many thoughts of my days in der Schweiz.
May I burst from my aging cocoon
To return once again?
I am but bound to my life here--
Not so bad on the whole;
And more or less at peace.
So it is, wisely, at the end.

Did the Cave Artists Get the Hump Correct? (Another Glimpse) opus 519

Coelodonta antiquitatis is the name of the woolly rhinoceros,
Painted in the ancient cave art in France, among others.
They went extinct for several reasons 10,000 years ago.
The big question is, did the Ice Age artists
Take creative liberties by adding a nuchal hump?
Well, an ancient rhino was discovered
In the permafrost in Yakutia, Siberia--
And what do you know--it possessed a hump,
Which seems to have been an adaptation to cold.
It appears that these artists were uncanny
In their depictions of the important creatures around them.
I have viewed these paintings many times and with each gaze,
I have been overwhelmed by their accuracy and absolute beauty.

The Hunter-Gathers opus 520

In former days, our hunter-gatherer ancestors moved
At the 'whim' or general greater movement of the herds.
Sometimes it was feast and other times famine.
So the modern, unthinking person might thus conclude.
There is, still, a quiet factor which repeats history.
That factor is our surrounding virus and bacteria.
Contemplate the rise of heretofore virual outbreaks
And how we mobilize to cope with whatever.
Our 'herds' today are populations of pigs, cows, chickens, and bees.
When they die or must be hygienically slaughtered,
We, as in ancient times, must cope with diminishing food sources.
Unlike our ancestors, there are times when the change
Also affects us directly, needing medical aid.
We must not only mobilize to cope with reduced resources,
But must even protect ourselves from that which ravages our food source.
It seems that things are different, but really much the same.
So is the cycle of life--the 'hunter' and the 'hunted',
Ensuring that the flow of energy will necessarily continue to obtain.

Why Do We Talk to Ourselves? opus 521

How many times have you caught yourself talking to 'no one'!
Why do we humans continue such one-sided conversations?
Do children better learn their language and thus it is adaptively ingrown?
Do we repeat something out loud so that we might not forget?
Do we, in a critical and stressful moment, talk aloud to release tension?
Do we, anticipating a date or interview, give ourselves an audible pep talk?
Do we repeat out loud, so this 'self-talk' reinforces our memories?
Do we repeat incessantly to ready for a rebutting response or argument?
Do we chat aloud to just plain calm ourselves down?
Are we scripting to assure ourselves of a necessary procedure?
Are we just having a conversation with a companion animal?
Are we a puppeteer voicing a thought
Through our normally inanimate dummies?
Are we alone and talking to a recently deceased loved one?
Or are we just plain journaling, or externally thinking,
Or simply compensating memory?

The Buffleheads' Return opus 522

Such a simple source of joy--
After six years--a return to my pond
Of the elegant but small black and white
Diving duck, arriving momentarily on its
Southward migration from the Arctic north.
This perky, white-crowned creature of flight
Of course, could do nothing else
But create joy in the eye of the beholder.

A New Gaza Playa Report? opus 523

'Someone' has proposed that the ruins of Gaza should be cleared,
The indigenous population be removed elsewhere,
And the enclave be opened to international pleasure.
Might this violate a few international rules of law and ethics?
Not so sure, but the proposal is out there in the ether!

Our Fellow Bird Vocalizations opus 524

How loud is the peacock's cry breaking the dawn.
The lark follows with melodious vocalizations.
The robin on the lawn, hunting for worms,
Flies to a tree and puffs out its flute-like territorial melody.
A background chiming is uttered by the Song Sparrow,
Followed by the mellow but penetrating
Organ pipes of the Wood Thrush;
As night falls, the longing cry of the Loon.
And in the moonlight, the Pygmy Owl lets out
Its soft, decreasing series of hoots.
A symphony for those who know,
And would appreciate, throughout the daily cycle.

A Mystery Footprint opus 525

Then 'they' came upon a mystery footprint.
The time in history was between
136,000 and 73,000 years ago.
The print of the walker left rounded anterior ends
With crisp margins and indentations,
Where possible strap attachments met the sole.
The dimensions were quite consistent
With those of hominin tracks;
Probably made by juveniles or small adults.
The prints were most likely from sandals--
A life saver from foot lacerations.
However, so far, no actual shoe remnants
Remain from the Middle Paleolithic,
Which a young, future investigator
May finally come up with, and the clinching evidence?

An Unidentified Invader opus 526

In biology an apex invader is defined as
Being especially influential and powerful in shaping the environment.
The effects of its invasion is paramount with its name.
The Global Invasive Database has defined the 100 top invaders,
From a plant like kudzu to a bird like the European Starling,
The Norwegian Rat. All these and many more
Have caused chaos and great expense for concerned societies.
The one invader which has not been recognized
In this long list of destructive transplants
Is Homo sapiens or us--our very own species.
Humans have ravaged the world,
Causing great destruction and extinction of other species.
We are now at a point where we are
Causing havoc, not only to our very own world,
But the mass Sixth Extinction on our planet.
(Remember, the Fifth was that asteroid
And the mass extinction of the dinosaurs.)
We are polluting our surroundings with CO2, methane and plastics.
The enigma is that if one enters 'humans' into the Invasive Database,
Nothing comes up. This is pure egocentrism topped with conceit!

The Dog That Went Too Far--An Allegory opus 527

Our farm needed a replacement watchdog.
We viewed a homeless, nice looking German Shepherd cross.
We all knew German Shepherds had their reputations,
But we voted and made the choice to give him a chance.
We needed a guard dog, the position high in our farm bureaucracy.
All seemed to go well, but there were glimpses
Of the possible predatory instincts of our nominee.
True enough, one night we returned to find a large open pen
Of communal rabbits had all been thoughtlessly slaughtered.
With discussion, some said to shoot the dog on the spot,
While others said that it should be banished or removed from the farm.
Our rules and governance of the once stable farm
Had been completely crippled and almost destroyed,
Because so many innocent rabbits had been needlessly slaughtered.
We needed to decide quickly so that no more such acts would occur.
Being a humaine group, a nice isolated home was negotiated and found,
And our farm managed to recoup and continue thriving.
Even by running our farm in a procedural way,
We were misled by the initial behavior of this dog.
Our lesson learned was to be more prudent and careful
In making decisions, concerning such an important station,
Supporting the hierarchy of our democratically run farm society.

Overcoming the Impossible opus 528

I had a terrible fish allergy when I was young.
I rolled on the floor, gasping for breath, and no one understood why.
Ahh, finally it was figured out that I had a severe fish allergy.
I went weekly to Dr. Clifford to have weekly injections
And then bits of fish, from those I had caught in our local Crystal Lake.
It didn't work, so months of immunization went down the tubes.
At camp I washed dishes to earn a scholarship;
Fridays were lethal when I wiped the sweat off my head,
And the fish oil in the sink's sudzy water would get into my mouth.
I persevered, hating this allergy, trying tastes of fish defiantly.
Finally at 50 years, my biology changed and I could taste fish carefully.
One day I went into a fish market and asked how this and that tasted.
The fishmonger was perplexed, until I explained about my past allergy.
At last I was free. I had persevered and had beat my biology.
Last night I cooked up a lovely piece of flavored Cod.
In past times, that would have been like Socrates imbibing the hemlock.
My biology did help, but my insistence got me over the goal.
Perhaps that is why the 'impossible' projects I have tackled,
Many times were successful, because I had learned not to give up.

Seta opus 529

A Bach flute concerto plays on the air.
My first love was Seta, a flautist in high school.
Our first date was meeting and playing music at her home.
I knew her parents well; her mother,
An Armenian, soft-spoken woman;
Her father, a very short Armenian artist
At the Rhode Island School of Design.
I remember when he showed me
His plastered juxtaposition of egg cartons;
Beautifully conjoined to create an optical illusion.

Seta and I met at a 50th Reunion for Newton High School.
She had aged, but was soft and conversant.
Dementia hit and her son took her off to California.
I was never able to converse with her again.
The magic of early youth, lost at the end
In silence and an unfulfillment of words.

The Fate of Two Sons opus 530

The recent incident in Venezuelan waters reminded me
Of my Antioch Co-op job (1963) at a whale processing plant in California.
I was hired as a Federal employee to collect samples
From whales taken in that Pacific area, during the closedown
Of the last USA whaling station near Point Richmond.
(During that time, my brother, John, 20 years old,
Had been shot in the back by a hunter, perhaps miles away,
Who fired in the air, with no backing to shield the bullet's trajectory.
There was no sound as he dropped to the ground.)

Filmed by his father, a son with his packraft
Was taken into the mouth of a whale!
"I saw blue and white; I felt slime against my face and smelled the bad breath."
"I was released and I and my rubber boat were again on the surface!"
Father and son had been paddling to a nearby island to explore.
When asked if they would attempt to venture there again,
They both agreed they would definitely try once more.
The Humpback Whale could not have been able to swallow him,
He being spared because of the whale's narrow throat.
If one were swallowed (only possible by a Sperm Whale),
The acids in the four stomachs and lack of air would have been fatal.

My brother was lost and this young man was wonderfully spared.

It is Saturday opus 531

Hey! It is Saturday!
Which is just like Wednesday.
Which is just like Friday.
Which is just like Monday.
Which is just like Thursday.
Which is just like Tuesday
Which is just like Sunday.

There comes a time in life,
When an imaginary day of 'freedom'
Is no better than any of the rest.
Are you at that time in your life?
You will know when it arrives.

If Only, If Only opus 532

Slowly, painfully, the Israeli hostages are being returned.
So joyfully those few lucky ones are greeted and hugged.
So cruelly taken and held by those 'others'.
But wait and ponder how those 'others'
Have been held since 1948 in an open air prison.
Human emotion and anger and despair can only be controlled for so long.
If only, if only, everyone, forming the new Israeli State, in 1948,
Had considered both sides, creating equal territories for each people--
Sovereign, equivalent, nation states.
If so, there might have been no hostages,
No hate, no revenge, and perhaps,
Equal trading partners and equal neighboring States.
They would have been living juxtaposed in peace.
Will those in power now finally realize, this is the only long-term solution?

Origins of Spoken Language opus 533

The first spoken languages probably developed
50,000 to 100,000 years ago.
Some hypotheses claim early forms in primal Homo species
May go back as far as 2 million years ago.
Prehistoric languages evolved from
Simple vocalizations to ever-greater complexity.
Modern humans have developed advanced linguistic skills.
This is most likely due to a genetic mutation,
Playing a vital role in the emergence of human speech.
There is a human-specific variant of the NOVA 1 gene,
Absent in Neanderthals and Denisovans,
Leading to spoken language.
All this advance results from a single amino acid change
In the NOVA 1 gene.
As we speak to each other, think now and then,
That this ability may be due to that small amino acid change.

Indohyus Becomes a Whale opus 534

The Indian geologist, A. Ranga Rao, came upon
A few fossil fragments in rocky areas of Kashmir.
Some teeth and part of a jawbone made up those fragments.
In spite of their future significance, the collection lay unnoticed for decades.
Indohyus, the size of a domestic cat, resembled a mouse-deer,
A small, deer-like mammal with a long snout, a tail and hooved feet.
The skeleton, with heavy leg bones, indicated it walked
On the bottom of lakes and rivers, hinting at a semi-aquatic lifestyle.
Why a return to the water? Food, fewer predators, exploration?
With adaptation, these semi-aquatic mammals, over several million years,
Transformed to the adept, aquatic cetaceans of today--
Whales of the present actually arose from a small, deer-like mammal!
Who would have guessed without the conclusions of scientific enquiry?
(But there is also the story of the hyrax,
Ancestor of the elephant, manatees, and dugongs.)
Check out these most interesting transformations
Of one very different life form to another.

Only Two Sexes! opus 535

Our new (and repeat) president has declared there are only two sexes.
Scientific studies and enquiries show there are many more orientations.
Of course, there is now political reaction
Against these restricted, officially declared dual sexual orientations.
Perhaps history will replicate itself as, for instance,
Occurred in Black Sports History.
Blacks were ostracized from baseball,
So they created the infamous Black Leagues,
After which Whites, upon seeing the potential value of Black players,
And posing Jackie Robinson as the 'change agent',
Blacks are now dominant in the baseball legacy.
Prejudice and hate sometimes melt into a new positive reality.

Our Attraction to Flowers opus 536

Why is it that flowers are so important for humans?
The desire to have flowers in our lives
For ceremonies--both secular and religious--, love gifts,
Or simply because one wishes to gift something
To another for no reason at all!
To think this through, what stage in a plant's life
Comes following the beautiful, scentful floral sequence?
Well, korms, bulbs, nuts, fruits are the most usual result.
An hypothesis put forward is very logical--
If the genome of a human programs memory
Where it sees flowers and takes note of their location,
The human will return to that spot later,
When the edible harvest has developed.
This behavioral trait may have been innate for survival,
As much as our 'natural' fear of snakes
May also be beneficial for survival.

Creativity opus 537

Just what causes one to record a Thought or a Poem?
For me, there are several different stimuli that lead to a written page:
If I hear someone speaking about a certain subject
And wish to embellish it in a particular manner;
Or if a memory of a past experience pops into my head;
Possibly it might be stimulated by a foreboding of the future;
A particular sound or shape or color might lead to a written image;
Comparison of the present with the past, or a future event which might unfold;
Or possibly I wish to write something sad or joyful,
Manifesting reality or imagination;
Protest or anger about a situation may spark a creative impulse;
Of course it is always fun to write a short image about a person
And slip it to herm physically or auditorily to fulfill another's
passion or portrait.
The ultimate question remains--will anyone actually read it!

Flowers for Marty opus 538

My friend of many years, Marty, was chatting with a participant about me
At a Quail Ridge Reserve ceremony honoring my work in conservation.
Along the way, Marty was asked how he had originally met me,
Marty outlined a few interesting characteristics,
Explained where he had met me with one outstanding point--
I was the only male who, during all his life,
Had actually presented to him a large bundle of flowers!
(He didn't mention that I raised thousands of narcissus and daffodils
Which I sold in several Farmers Markets,
And also spontaneously handed them out to all sexes, as I chose!)
Now the secret is out.

A Source of Emotion. (A true tale.) opus 539

A father was informed that his son's car had struck a deer.
The father then drove to the son's side to give aid and comfort.
The car was damaged, but drivable.
The son was emotional and even in tears.
Upon calming down, father and son, then returned home.

With analysis, an interesting and in depth enquiry might now be asked.
Were the understandable flow of tears a result of
Self emotion? Compassion for a killed deer?
Or both of these sources of emotion, resulting in those tears?

Three Choices opus 540

Friendly and gentle Canada is now undergoing a tariff blitz
From its huge neighbor to the south.
I do not completely understand all the implications of this,
But I do feel empathy for a country that might have become my home.
It was 1966, during the, now as seen, unjust Vietnam War.
I was studying for my Ph.D. at Cornell University.
Unrest and antipathy against the war prevailed.
I was the leader of the 'Young Friends', a Quaker Students group.
I read and studied profusely everything printed about the war.
I profoundly felt that I was not able to kill another human being.
I applied and succeeded to be classified as a Conscientious Objector.
Oh, what if my draft number, about 370, had been drawn--
What would I have done to maintain my life's dignity?
As I saw it, I had three choices for a major decision in life.
One, I would drive a military ambulance as a non-combatant;
Two, I would go to prison as a non-cooperator;
Three, I would flee to Canada, becoming a refugee.
Time passed by as I attempted to continue my biological studies.
The war ended and my draft number was never drawn.
Fate shifted once again, nullifying my chances of becoming
A citizen of our reasonable, 'sweet', Acer saccharum nation to the north.

Perhaps the Fastest Evolving Animal in the US! opus 541

The American Spiny Lizard is changing--evolving--before our very eyes.
This remarkable lizard resides in the southwestern US,
And studies show its genetic shifts are occurring much faster than expected.
Climate Change, urban expansion and predator pressure
Are giving fuel to its rapid evolution.
Most species have evolved over long periods of time--
This lizard in a few decades.
Noteworthy is its developing resistance to toxins of invasive fire ants,
Including a thicker skin and faster reflexes, evading the ants' attacks.
Also urbanization is causing faster adaptation
To hotter temperatures, with fewer sheltering areas.
Studies demonstrate that urban dwellers
Have higher heat tolerance than rural counterparts.
With shifting metabolism, they remain active in temperatures normally fatal.
Camouflaging colors have also shifted, blending in better
With concrete and human structures.
More noteworthy is the discovery that behavioral adaptations may be learned!
Not just on instinct, these lizards watch, adapt, and problem-solve--
Especially the urban individuals who out-performed their rural cousins,
By better navigating obstacles, escape traps, even recognize patterns.
These results have major implications as to how animals
Will cope with a rapidly changing planet.
This certainly is evolution resulting from natural selection.

Many lizards are thriving in human-altered environments,
Seeking out heat-retaining structures and artificial water sources.
Will these changes cause developmental switches
To create an even more different species?
This all demonstrates that 'Nature' is more flexible than ever imagined.
The question is what other species are changing right before our eyes?
Even our own species might follow this same pattern of adaptation.
Nature seems to always find a way and never, generally, stands still.
(Of course this group of lizards includes our local (Davis, CA)
'Blue Belly' or Western Fence Lizard.)

PREDATE--a Josh opus 542

A strange thought occurred to me
About predation or to preDATE.
If one looks in a dictionary, predate
Means only to 'come before' (PREdate).
On deeper research one can finally find
'To prey' or 'to hunt for'.
Thinking about both these meanings:
Is a date with a person then meaning
'A time before a date with a person' (PREdate)
Or 'a meeting with a person
Who will be preyed upon' (preDATE))?
Do watch out--all you young dudes!
It all depends upon the accentuation.

Bundles of Flowers opus 543

An afternoon at the dentist's office.
Had promised four bundles of my narcissus or daffodils
To the lovely ladies at reception and at the 'chair'--
Liz, Chantobel, Olivia, and the top dog, Dr Dominessey.
But what now? A Monica had slipped in, so now five.
Led into the 'chair', tooth drilled, interesting chat.
Had no time to bundle from my bucket,
Until in the aftermath and the bill paid.
In the lobby, I commenced bundling--not four, now five.
Then a patient came by--a sweet older eastern Indian.
She admired the flowers--
Probably originally came from her part of the world.
So now it was six--I had just enough.
Usha--meaning 'sunset' received a spontaneous bundle--
So, still, I had enough for five more (like the loaves and fishes).
I walked out six bundles fewer, but a heart full of multiple bundles!

Our Human Family Tree opus 544

The human family tree now seems
To be not a single line of ancestors,
But it appears there was a population split
1.5 million years ago and a reuniting 300,000 years ago.
Analyzing modern human DNA shows that one
Of these isolated populations was genetically dominant.
Along the way, humans shared genes
With Denisovans and Neanderthals.
The ancient mixing event 300,000 years ago
Resulted in only about 20 percent of modern human genes
Coming from a minority population.
The larger (80 percent) ancestral population
Contributing to modern humans,
Also appears to have been ancestral
To Denisovans and Neanderthals.
Some of the genes from the ancient minority (20%) population,
Importantly, contributed brain function and neural processing,
Playing a crucial role in human evolution.
Was one of these ancient populations possibly
Homo erectus and as yet an unknown Homo?

Possibly True? opus 545

Is it possibly true
That the richest person
Can wield such power
That by dictating
The cessation of funds,
Thousands of children
Depending on supplemental food
And life-saving medications
Will actually die during his watch?
It is unconscionable that this
Is actually occurring with his cognisance.

A Fortunate Old Man opus 546

I have many memories of 'good' and 'bad':
It is all relative.
I have reasonable health.
I have warm or cool shelter--
Depends on the season.
I have nourishment--
Recycled, roadkill, entomophagous, or deluxe.
I have activities to keep my mind astute--
Conservation efforts, writing, fundraising,
Discourse with those who wish to engage;
Tending and feeding my animals--
From fish (Bettas), to bird (emu),
To reptile (Bearded Lizards), to mammal (Angus calf):
I have them all--my constant companions.
I have occasional friendly visitors
Who gift me bits of wonderful food
And to some, in return, I donate some remuneration
For various student and conservation causes;
But, most profoundly, my two boys (men),
Who check in on me, converse with me, help me,
And keep my faculties honed to sharpness.
It could be far worse.

A Pseudo Peace (For Patrick) opus 547

I have a former acquaintance
Who boycotts me because of my verbal outburst,
Against the government of a certain nation,
The leaders of which are seeking revenge
Based on a ratio of 1200 to 51,000.
My math says that sort of ratio
Is not a 'balanced equation'.
Does one finally scream out
Or hold one's peace for a pseudo peace?

Benjamin Franklin and Canada as the 14th Colony opus 548

Franklin and Washington felt it was inevitable
That the thinly populated British possessions
To the north, would eventually join the future US.
Before the Declaration of Independence was signed,
Two colonists, Richard Montgomery and Benedict Arnold,
Came very close to convincing Canada to join.
After Yorktown, Washington wanted to make another attempt.
With a well equipped army, and the French allies,
He wish to capture Quebec and drive the British out of Canada.
Now, with more detail, John Allen, a Nova Scotia politician,
Wrote Washington that his crown colony may join the 13 Colonies--
About three-quarters of that then population of 20,000 were New Englanders!
However, as a result of several difficult historical incidents,
Nova Scotia, nor Quebec were included in the new US.

Why the Difference in Human and Neanderthal Faces? opus 549

Neanderthals had stout jaws, broad noses, with features jutting forward.
Modern humans have modest and meek faces--flat and delicate.
The human face stops growing during adolescence (neoteny),
While the chimp and Neanderthal faces grow periodically longer,
Thus resulting in elongated, more 'robust' features.
Bone formation and bone resorption sculpt the facial bones
The Neanderthal face demonstrated 'restructuring' for a longer period,
The growth projecting forward, especially around the nose and cheeks.
This facial form may have aided their breathing and chewing.
In humans the early slowing of growth in adolescence,
Also showed less bone resorption, thus less cellular activity.
This gracilization as for humans, becomes more delicate in form,
Yields thinner bones, smaller muscles, and flatter faces.
Some reasons why are hypothesized: cooking and eating softer food;
Brain size, evolving larger, pushed the face down and in;
Or possibly the 'self-domestication' hypothesis,
Stating the selection resulted in more sociable,
Less aggressive appearing individuals.
Compare this to the domestication of dogs
Yielding floppy ears, curved tails, and shorter snouts.
The 'how' we now know, but the 'why' is yet to be discovered!

Wings of Birds--Thoughts of a Modern Homo opus 550

I, as a child, and still today, am fascinated with bird wings.
Is the attraction the aerodynamic shape or color patterns,
Or just the mere fact that their proximity partially fulfills the desire to fly?
We Homo sapiens are not the only hominin so attracted.
In Neanderthal butchery sites, it appears bird's wings were treated specially,
With many avian bones bearing ornamental markings.
How wonderful it would be, going back in time,
To actually sit beside a Neanderthal carver,
Witnessing his or her methods,
While (possibly) conversing about the artistic significance.

The Creation of Dogs--Just Child's Play opus 551

I am a child, sitting near a middens pile, perhaps 30,000 years ago.
This young and seemingly fearless wolf pup comes near, as usual,
To hunt out and sort remaining bits of tasty, discarded morsels.
Such easy scavenging for food--and the ever-present Human youngster
Appears to be sitting quietly, patiently observing--meaning no harm.
The child, daily, sits closer, and at last holds out a tasty bone with some flesh.
Soon, that child is gently stroking the pup as it masticates,
And before one knows, the pup is carefully cuddled in the child's arms.
So might have been the beginning of the profound dog-human co-evolution,
Which today is practiced, but few of us are familiar with its wonderful story.

Cloth vs Paper? opus 552

Online, a writer was complaining about the terrible thinness of napkin-plys.
He wondered if there were someone who could recommend a thicker-ply brand.
I emailed back the following: 'Please, save trees and,
Since you obviously are very cognizant, concerning napkins,
Use good-old cloth napkins, where thickness cannot be rivalled,
Having feel and quality which are superb.
(Just throw them occasionally in with your regular wash.)
We are a throwaway society and by which, such actions
Could result in a small, but important ripple effect.
Do consider other things in your life-use which could also be modified.
If we do not consider these actions now,
Our children and grandchildren will certainly pay.'

Are the Statue of Liberty's Words Now a Cliche? opus 553

With the harsh reductions of the US government,
Orchestrated by the returning executive,
Among so many issues concerning so many departments,
What will now occur concerning our scientific research in all fields?
This tragic move has already been taken advantage of
By several European universities which are
Offering (luring) positions in their still progressive
And edified research programs.
Is this a clear adumbration of the end of the US magnificence
In being the epitome and 'hope' of the human world?
Will we be shunned, avoided, left to rot in our own misery?
Will the French politician be correct to demand
For the return of the Statue of Liberty?

The Mason (Inspired by Jay W.) opus 554

Could you ever imagine yourself as a bricklayer--
Or, namely, a mason or a builder?
In German it is Maurer and a Mauer is a wall,
And the verb is mauen--boy, they have it all tied up!
But back to the point; a bricklayer builds huge things--
Walls and such, using only tiny rectangular 'cubes',
Fused together with well mixed mortar.
Piece by piece, each element is put in place,
With, obviously, a greater plan that these small elements
Will finally result in a great facade, winning praise,
Delight, and an emotion of being overwhelmed.
How is it that one has such patience and foresight
To create these magnificents to inspire all those
Who would not dare to attempt such creations?

April; Coping with Less Rain opus 555

I have raised thousands of narcissus and daffodils,
Nurtured only by the rain--the gamble with the elements.
Today the last of the triploids and iris were harvested.
So sad, so sobering, such realization of our changing climate.
In the 'old days' bulbs burst in November
And finalized their blossoming choreography
Sometime in April--now far short of that goal.
The few harvested ones sit in a bucket, no market to receive them;
No lovely person to take and hold them in her hand.
In eight decades, I have seen and witnessed many changes.
Now it is time for the next generation to wake up
And be ready for and realize the coming challenges.
May they use all their wit and knowledge
And common sense to meet this new reality,
Which most, being younger, will only know from historical accounts.

Tooth Structure Makes a Difference opus 556

The basic general concept concerning evolution,
Is that changes unfold over long time periods.
These are genetic changes which are affected through DNA.
We have already discussed the rapid adaptations in lizards.
New research is revealing rapid evolution,
Especially in the Cichlid group of fish.
The Cichlids can rapidly evolve teeth
Which are either 'simple' or 'complex'.
And more, this occurs quickly with gain or loss of the tooth type.
This rapid change allows successful exploitation of new food types.
The African Cichlids seem to have retained the genetic program,
Enabling them to easily switch, with tooth type, to another niche.
The switch between simple and complex (and back)
Drives the rapid formation of new species.
Thus Cichlids are able to form new species
More rapidly than any other vertebrate group.

Dealing With Death opus 557

Death is a life phenomenon which all creatures face cognizantly or not.
Of course there are those that recognize this new state.
It is well known that elephants clearly react to death
By touching with their collective trunks, reaching out.
Even later encounters with the decomposed body
Elicit fondling the now cleaned bones.
Mother porpoises are known to 'carry' their deceased offspring
For many days or weeks; one female did so for up to 100 days.
Mother chimps and bonobos hold dead infants for days.
These two groups are known to touch, attempt play,
And gaze deeply into the eyes of a passed companion.
Humans deal culturally differently, but profoundly with their dead.
The Irish have wakes and Hispanics often gather in a parlour.
There is some good archeological evidence that Neanderthals
Had some sort of recognition of death.
From so long ago, it is often difficult to discern actual fact,
But revealed hyena and raven tarsals near an infant's disinterned body,
Or an isolated lithic near an adult's corpse,
Finding no other similar lithic at all nearby,
Indicate that there must have been some thought applied.
We will never know whether there was singing, or other vocalizations,
Or if possibly, even tears were shed for a downed comrad.
But judging from chimp and bonobo behavior around their dead,
And, of course, knowing our own feelings and behavior,
It is quite certain our kindred Neanderthal went through
Much the same agony and heartache.
Nearing that life stage, I myself, as many,
Premeditate my own demise with wonder and trepidation.

EPILOGUE {It is clear that as with most hominin groups,
Cannibalism is a practice sometimes evidenced among them.
Among Neanderthal butchered bones, tool cut marks are evidenced
On both remains of animals, as well as on their own kind.
There is much contemplation as to reasons for this.
Dealing with their trauma might have included the depositing of bodies,
Taking them apart and reconstituting the raw components
Back to life with consumption, bones used as tools, or by marking them.
Cut marks on the face and skull may indicate the recognition of another.
Was the common practice of taking apart hunted carcasses,
Transposed into a grieving process involving familiar butchery,
Including cannibalism, as acts of intimacy and not violation?
Catholics in Western society have special relics for viewing,
And even more, in Eucharist, bread and wine are
Consumed as the body of Jesus, inside the mouths of the faithful!
They say this is not about death, but life.
Perhaps this was also true for Neanderthals.}

Marrow opus 558

As a child, I often chewed on a chicken bone to remove the marrow.
I was not aware at the time, but I was following
The masticating practices of the Neanderthals
(And those of my own early species).
There is ample evidence that the many smashed bones
Of both animal and, in certain localities, of Neanderthal,
Were a desired part of the consumption of the bodies.
Marrow has a distinct texture and taste
And was, then, specially desired nutritionally
And perhaps sometimes ritualistically.
Learning this now, gives me a closer feeling for and understanding
Of my very unique hominin ancestry
And, unknowingly, as a child I uninstructedly and instinctively,
Mimicked my very ancient forebears in one of their regular practices.

Mason Bee vs the European Honeybee opus 559

I have raised many bees in Sweden and Africa and am well aware of their ways.
Honeybees have been used as pollinators in the US since the 1600's.
Today, the bee loss is tremendous--up to 60 to 100%.
Because they are non-native, they are succumbing to pesticides,
Habitat loss, and mite infestations.
Our native pollinators are affected, but holding on so far.
There are 4000 species of US bee pollinators--1600 in California alone.
The Honeybee is a terrible pollinator because
Most of the pollen is deposited in the hive.
Thus they do not pollinate efficiently.
An alternative native bee is successfully being tried--the Mason Bee.
This bee, also called the Blue Orchard Bee, simply belly flops onto a flower,
Then, covered in pollen, it continues, generously pollinating.
The Honeybee lives in large hives, allowing easy transportation for farmers.
Mason Bees live in cavities or tubes--they make no honey,
There is no queen bee nor workers--all females are queens.
Because they build chambers in the tubes--thus the name Mason Bee.
This bee rarely stings and all they need is water and a mud supply!
Of course a constructed tube hive of some sort must also be provided.

Tariffs on Chicken Feet?? opus 560

At present, we are diving up and down economically,
As a result of the singular thinking of our second-time repeat leader.
Our farmers depend on a world trade which maintains stability.
Meddling too much in that agricultural trade-stability
Results in unstable pricing and loss of markets to other countries.
Well, ok, but how do chicken feet fit in to all this chaos?
Tariffs on chicken meat are clearly understood,
But with this meat are feet--attached thereto!
One country only, which consumes and adores these is China.
Even in our own country, chicken feet are slipped in via their restaurants.
Ironic, that our chief tariff competitor is China,
The very major consumer and importer of our chicken feet!

The White-crowned Sparrow--A Biannual Reminder in my Calendar (Dedicated to Melissa) opus 561

In my life of 83 years, I have always remarked about Spring and Autumn.
Tucked into that is another Spring-Fall phenomenon
And that is the annual movements of the White-crowned Sparrow.
For 47 years, I have lived with this wonderful bird in California,
Witnessing its East-West seasonal shifts, in and out of the Valley.
Today, we are still in April, and the marvelous companionship
With this species will be ending--it will make its return to the hills.
I must now wait until October to listen for
Its wondrous, teasing, raspy 'zwee-zwee-zwee' vocalization.
With its October return, its call will hit me from the ear to the heart.
I coexist and breathe the same juxtaposed air with my companion,
The White-crowned Sparrow.

Sounds for a Birder opus 562

The Neanderthal are gone by 40,000 years,
But there is still a link between us Moderns and the extinct ones--
The vocalizations of most of the birds we live with today.
As a population, the Neanderthal would have been far more aware
Of the varied, juxtaposed calls of their avian neighbors
Than Modern Homo would be in our present time.
These creatures were their alarm clock at sunrise,
Their lullaby in the Demerung (Twilight) as they attempted to sleep,
And their warning, denoting some occurrence
Of which they should be aware.
Birds were their constant companions, as well as their nourishment.
An intimate relationship with another creature for sure!

Playing Chess with Tariffs opus 563

Well, at this moment, we have tariffs flying in and out--
A frantic display of minimal planning wielded by outrageous power.
In the latest round (4th?). electronics are spared the tariff-tax,
While our farmers and their products are left in the fray.
Interesting that our leaders spare electronics,
While leaving farm products and food on the shelf (or not)
To languish for our population--
Are we really able to ingest electronics?
Our addiction to the latter, may starve us with neglect of the farmers!

Chlorinated Chickens! opus 564

Did you know that butchered US chickens are bathed in a chlorine solution?
This procedure is done to hygienically cleanse the bodies of possible Salmonella.
The EU and Britain have conducted surveys and found 80% reject such US chickens.
Concerning food poisoning, statistics show it is seven times more likely
To get ill from food in the US than in the UK.
The European agricultural centers emphasize that disinfecting poultry
Is a way, chemically, to mask food safety in the US.
Basically, Europe relies on 'pre-harvesting' interventions with living animals,
Including vaccination and various types of feed additives,
While the US focuses on chemicals and other methods
To eliminate pathogens once the animal has been slaughtered.
Such different approaches, preparing one of our most popular and common foods!

Elizabeth Vrba (1942 - 2025) opus 565

These are some thoughts of Elizabeth Vrba,
A great, but lesser known evolutionary biologist:
'Evolution is not always slow with incremental changes,
But, rather, evolution moves in bursts,
Or abrupt waves of extinction and speciation'--
According to her 'Turnover Pulse' hypothesis,--
'As a result of great climate upheavals.'
She also worked on 'exaptation', the process where traits evolve
For one function, and later are co-opted for another.
She studied 'stimulated paleontology' for a better predictive precision.
'The fossil record is not a static archive,
But a dynamic record of nature's upheavals.'
'Species are shaped by external forces,
Not by internal biological pressures:
Thus, as a result of environmental changes from shifts in climate--
Not always random, nor by gradual competition.'
'The survival of the generalist is greater than that of the specialist.'
Her advocacy of her thoughts and hypotheses will be missed,
But as time and knowledge increases,
More of her thoughts may be actually demonstrated.

Lexington, Massachusetts opus 566

When studying at Weeks Junior High School (about 1954)
In Newton Center, Massachusetts, I was learning French.
My teacher was Madam Neufeld, a wonderfully vivacious person.
French was my second new language after one year of Latin.
I had changed, after advice that the French would better help in a science career.
Madam Neufeld lived in Lexington, Massachusetts, where she invited me to visit.
I liked her as a sympathetic teacher and accepted her hospitality.
I clearly remember going to Lexington Bridge and the Green,
Where the Revolutionary 'Shot heard 'round the World' had occurred
I also had a very dedicated older, white-haired history teacher,
So my visit to the Bridge was ever more meaningful for my young mind.
Tomorrow, 19 April (1775), will commemorate
The 250th anniversary of the start of the US Revolution.
I am glad I have lived so long to see this day and time
But I am full of worry and anguish for our present and future,
As I am sure they were in those early days of turmoil.

Assault on Democracy? opus 567

So many drastic changes (executive orders) in fewer than 100 days,
Which already concerns and brings fear to much of the population.
In fewer than four years, which will now unfold,
What chaos and disorder might be then fixed in our government
And in the general cosmopolitan population?

On Ornaments and Clothing, with Easter in Mind opus 568

Humans (Homo sapiens) are a naked ape with a flattened face.
This is the result of neoteny, an adult form, maintaining juvenile characters.
Humans have no natural pigments as with Mandrills.
We know that Neanderthals utilized some forms of decoration,
But humans have gone all out for bodily adornment--
Painted faces, use of feathers, jewelry, and regal robes.
It is Easter today, and outstanding clothing, including garish hats,
Are in great prominence during this one day of holiday time.
As one commentator stated, "To catch the eye of god" (and man and woman).
Human bodily decoration, be it jewels or cloth, are always prominent.
The garment industry makes millions and causes great waste,
As our decorations go out of fashion. Many garments just go to the dump.
One example is the killing of egrets for their plumes--
Almost to the complete decimation of that species.
(That is one reason why the Audubon Society was created, by women,
In order to raise awareness and create laws to save birds.)
We, as a 'decorating species', must now consider:
Fewer changes of clothing, purchasing good used garments,
Not always following mindless trends, and recycling clothing responsibility.
Read Thoreau's 'On Walden' focusing on 'On Clothing'.
I say no more.

How Might a Hindu Take the Story of Easter? opus 569

I sort of pulled this out of a hat, randomly contemplating the subject.
I actually found sites which answered my question precisely!
Some sites went into great detail about the transformation of Jesus' body,
While others posed the almost impossibility of reaching eternal life--
Compared to Christianity--a somewhat biased account,
Through multiple reincarnations in the caste system.
The article I am citing stays on the positive side,
Not dragging in the negatives, looking at the positive similarities.
Do read this and ponder further on the subject:
'Exploring the Intersections of Easter and Hinduism--Celebrating Unity in Diversity'.
If you are religious or a Humanist as I am,
You will see nice, positive overlaps, for what it is.
Enjoy.

22 April 2025--Earth Day opus 570

Pope Francis died on the morning of 21 April,
Just after Easter and the day before Earth Day.
He was a leader who completely understood
The slow, steady change and demise of our world
In relation to human, animal, and plant life as well as
To those who can no longer conduct profitable farming,
Nor to those who are potential refugees of violence and armed entities.

The pope will be buried in a simple wooden coffin,
Among others who were the poor of Rome, Italy.
Now the question is, who will be chosen for that next leader?
In addition, it would be nice if more unified attention would be given
To the contributions of the Dalai Lama and leaders
Of the Jewish, Muslim, and other major religions.
The dominance of the magnificence of the papacy
Must be juxtaposed with the theology of other religious leaders.
That would be to the good of our diverse populations.

(Note: Today, 25 May 2025, we may have just that,
Partly by means of a new American pope,
Who seems to be already including many others.)

A Dream to Freedom! opus 571

I am an aging man of nearly 84 now and for the last two years,
With a right hip replacement which was 'mis-mounted'--turned a few degrees inward--
As well as slowly wearing out from labor and fatigue,
I walk now slowly and carefully so as not to fall.
Last night I had an interesting dream, which I demanded my mind to remember.
I met a couple of 'guys' with whom I began running.
I remember being very swift and mostly in the lead,
As I had been most of the time before 80.
The soil was reddish. There were many pines. We followed old trails,
But often we had to maneuver alongside bulldozer paths.
It was back and forth between the two pathway types.
At one point, the trail led us under a highway overpass--
I remember the several round cement posts supporting the roadway.
As I woke up, images began to become jumbled.
I believe, in the dream, it was getting dark, and I personally wondered
How we would find our way 'back' in the dark night.
At that point, I fully woke and, being so intrigued with the dream,
I made myself be able to recall, even in the new wakeful state.
I have often managed to recollect many details in my dreams,
By training my mind to repeat details in sequential depth.
Of course, my mind was rebelling, using my swift dream-race,
To contrast with my now slow plodding which I must endure--
Merely moving from one spot to another.
Even though it was a dream, I woke, feeling refreshed and fully mobile!

Heaven And Earth opus 572

With the pope's serious illness,
It is perplexing to observe and contemplate
Terrestrial, empirical medical procedure,
Mingled with heavenly outreach-supplications.

A 21st Century Book Burning opus 573

Most of us, especially older persons who grew up with books,
Distinctly remember historical films, showing books being thrown into bonfires.
Since the 1400's, when the Gutenburg printing press was invented,
Education and information about the world was multiplied by many factors;
So it was with the creation of organized educational institutions.
Today, the slow 'destruction' (ie 'burning') of educational organizations,
Formerly reaching out to free thought and encouraging individual choices of ideas,
Is peeking out at the adumbrations of a terrible one-sided educational format,
Which will stymie the present, golden-age of knowledge-seeking.
In a democratic, free-thinking world, one must be exposed
To all thought, discuss everything , and freely make up one's own mind.

Compassionate Leadership opus 574

There was a leader of a certain country,
Who treated most of his fellow leaders in a demeaning manner.
A certain pope of Italy died and world leaders attended his funeral.
As the leader of that certain country entered with his wife,
The whole gathering remained absolutely silent.
Whereas, as the leader governing previously to that certain leader,
Who was compassionate and caring for his people and his fellow leaders,
Entered and received a loud welcome from those fellow leaders.
A compassionate leader will always be greeted and perceived positively,
Even if not every one of his attempts at governing was always successful.

Distribution of Energy opus 575

The 'need' for Modern Civilization's energy-hunger,
Greatly compromises the state of our planet:
Masses of wires or pipelines;
Air pollution or radiation dangers;
Dams or huge diversions of waterways;
Disruptive construction (ie 'walls'),
Destroying wildlife habitats and corridors.

Now, to ever-more quickly solve questions using AI,
Additional masses of energy are sucked into the system
To divert electrons from basic human needs
To frantically decide
How to continue moving one way or another!

To Coal or not to Coal? opus 576

Coal mining is a dirty, dangerous business.
Many leaders have attempted to shift to other safer energy sources.
Now, the new returning US leadership, to maintain certain votes,
Wishes, once again, increased coal production and use--
BUT, at the same moment, this 'new enlightened' leadership
Has ironically disbanded all research and medical testing,
For those workers who continue to harvest this killer product!

My Pictish Beast Tattoo opus 577

Among other peoples, I am a Pict--
The tattooed or painted ones of Scotland.
I first saw the petroglyph, 'Craw Sten' of Rhynie
Several decades ago atop its hill--
Angled salmon above and Pictish Beast beneath,
On a standing stone two meters high.
I have utilized the image of this Beast
As a logo on all my literature.
Now, after 10 or more years of pondering,
I am ready to endure a baptismal tattoo
On my own left forearm.
I shall be kilted, with a hippo tusk lying nearby,
Accompanied by a bunched cluster of ancient mammoth hair.
There shall be a Swiss cow bell, as part of my past.
I shall add ancestral Erectus and Neanderthal stone tools,
Formerly used to skin said mammoths.
An attending Turk there, shall represent the Fertile Crescent;
A South African shall represent our African human origins;
And Drew, the artist, returned from 39 years abroad
Will represent my own sojourn in Sweden.
We shall be conversing in Swedish and Turkish and English.
After one half hour, I shall be marked for the remainder of my life.
Just as the new pope was recently inaugurated into the church,
So shall I finally be enfolded into my Pictish fellowship.

This poem shall be read before commencing with the marking (21 May 2025).

Memorial Day, 26 May 2025 opus 578

First, Decoration Day, commencing just after the Civil War,
Later, became Memorial Day to remember the fallen in all wars.
Unfolding are heroic stories, related by those who accomplished and survived;
But, as well, there are many stories of suffering and death.
On this day, we should also remember those relatively few
Who have striven and strive now to stop war as a means to solve differences.
There must come a time when resolving problems with violence
Will be unheard of and never chosen as a solution.

To See or To Hear; And Then There is Walking opus 579

Many millennia ago humans evolved to be upright,
Changing the whole orientation of the body;
Thus creating a new dimension and meaning of the verb 'to walk'.
My whole life has been one of walking--
Moving quickly from room to room, or from farm field to field.
My childhood continually involved exploring places by foot.
All my field work for the doctorate included miles of walking,
Checking and attending trap lines,
While studying Microtus pennsylvanicus (voles!).

As a youngster, I pondered many hypotheticals--
Losing my eyesight vs my hearing often came across my mind.
I even considered at one point, learning Braille and working with the blind.
Now that I am almost 84, something else has come to the fore;
Namely, my ability to walk, as I always have--quickly and efficiently.
After a hip replacement, 'installed' slightly 'inwardly',
And the aging factor of just plain slowly wearing out,
I now walk with some difficulty, always observing for possible obstacles.
Falling is now foremost in my thoughts--
Continually attempting to avoid any cryptic catastrophe;
There is also some minor pain, adding to the mix.
So, so much for pondering on 'whether sight or whether sound'.
Life plays tricks on one and, that which seemed paramount,
Turns onto another unconsidered malady!

The Vicarious Conductor opus 580

Often, when musical sounds come within my ear,
I raise my hands in a conducting mode
And lead that imaginary musical group.
It brings me back to my period in music,
When I conducted an actual and real group of musicians,
Fully revelling in my heart, guiding such musical geniuses.

Will TACO Make a Difference? opus 581

I have realized that our neighbors to the south have invaded us with revenge,
Not with might, but with their alluring food--
One being the ubiquitous TACO.
It has come so far that our leadership here has gone totally TACO.
Lips extended over, and drawing in that crispy, stuffed goody,
All manner of thought has left his body
And in his gourmand madness, he has succumbed,
Belittling all his subjects, that none do matter--
Only his fellow Oligarchs with yachts from which,
They can disgorge any excess, unwanted, and unnecessary frivolous TACOs.

(Written for a presentation on the web.)

A Moment in an Elevator on the Second Floor opus 582

I was exiting from my Ophthalmologist exam;
Entered the nearby elevator and pressed the button.
Nothing. No up nor down. My mind started to calculate:
Would I be abandoned here for hours?
I had heard of such--those marooned in these up and down devices.
My mind calmly covered the possibilities.
Checking, I then looked up at the elevator indicator--
A red number '2'.
What had I done to cause such?
I am on '2', wishing to descend to '1'.
But the indicator says '2'.
OMG--'The wrong button was pressed?'
Humbly, I pressed '1' and low and behold, I descended!
Amused and relieved, I exited onto '1' with additional relief
And a joyous feeling, walking out into the afternoon sun!

Exaggeration or Untruth? opus 583

Two political parties recently vied against each other,
Both claiming reduced food prices for their public.
Now the party presently in power have touted
That 'prices are down'; even eggs are now 400% reduced in price!
Actually, egg prices have fallen by only 67%.
Many other food prices also remain higher than they were previously.
Do we, the public, take these continual claims with a grain of salt,
Or realize that there is a continual shift towards a new reality?

Blind Devotion? opus 584

Easter Islanders, blindly carved ever-more of their 'sacred heads',
Until all 'needed' resources were completely diminished.
With the creation of our excessively hungry new god--AI--
Will we also inevitably go the way of the now extinct Islanders?

Puking Carbon opus 585

When I was younger,
I travelled wantonly everywhere--
And at a whim, but with good intentions;
Spreading carbon waste everywhere.

Now that I am (very) older,
I am relieved that I am
More tied to my bed and the toilet,
So that my mostly non-vital travelling
Will not add to the horrible carbon pollution
That may eventually take us all down--
Oh, that is, except for the plant world!
(Or the cockroaches,
Which have survived enumerable changes,
Cohabiting perhaps
With the horseshoe crabs and trilobites!)

Is There Really a Singular 'THEY'? opus 586

'THEY'--the third person plural--is just that--plural.
But, know, that 'THEY' has struggled a vicarious existence.
Even you have most likely utilized the singular 'THEY'.
'EveryONE should put on THEIR life jackets now!'
'EACH student loves the time when THEY are free at recess.'
It is a 'borrowed' genderless pronoun, designating anyone.
Using 'HE or SHE' seems really awkward, not falling off the tongue.
Creating and using 'EX or HEESH'--clever, but will never catch on.

And now we have just added a new complication--
'THEY' as a personal pronoun! The 'new THEY'. (More on that to come.)
Many do not wish to use 'HE or SHE', 'HIM or HER'.
Being linguistically able, I could carefully use the 'new THEY',
But I even have trouble turning off the car radio,
Until that last bit of a classical music piece has concluded!

'We-Other' opus 587

Old, later English used to commonly use
The first person plural in an awkward, 'We-Other' or variations thereof
It included 'me' or 'I' and 'all the rest' or 'the others'.
English has pruned that away to just using 'we'.
But--there is a language which still utilizes the old form!
Guess which one? The very much used Spanish!
'We' in Spanish is 'Nosotros'.
Ok, dissect it; 'Nos' = 'We' and 'Otros' = other.
Wow, just always under our noses!
When I broach this complete history with Spanish speakers,
They are astonished that they had never contemplated its meaning.

Fathers' Day (15 June 2025) opus 588

A book recently released, outlined 'The History of Fatherhood'.
During the author's research,
He asked his adult son what makes a good father.
The son's immediate response astounded his father--
'A good father should be funny and give many hugs.'
The author, amazingly, thought for two weeks,
Before he concluded that this described his wife's behavior and character!
Over the years, since the first Fathers' Day, 110 years ago, indeed,
The role of fathers has slowly evolved from a powerful disciplinarian
To a more participating, gentle role of parent.

And Then There is the 'New They'! opus 589

There are certain individuals today, who wish to be referred to as 'They'.
Linguists nominate this phenomenon as the 'New They'.
The 'old fashioned', 'normal, plural They', utilizes no '-s' with the verb--
They walk, They see clearly, They eat pizza relishly.
'He', 'She', and 'It' have an '-s' with the verb--
He listenS, She singS, It appearS suddenly.
So, as to not confuse a 'plural They' (They sing),
With the 'singular They', it has been proposed
That the 'singular They' should have an '-s' suffix with the verb:
Plural: They walk quickly; Singular: They walkS quickly.
This would clarify the understanding of who is doing what,
As well as to make it easier for those to verbalize correctly.

Ms for Mrs took off; why not a little '-s' added to a 'singular They' verb?

What is Yourn is 'Meen' or What is Yours is Mine opus 590

Mine, by the way, used to be pronounced 'Meen'.
'Meen' used to be 'Mee book' and also before a vowel: 'Meen' apple.

Here is the pattern of today's possessive pronouns:
mine
ours
yours
yours
his,hers,its
theirs
So why is mine not 'mys'?
The Middle English possessive pattern, ended in an 'n':
mine
ourn
thine
yourn
his,hern
theirn
Moreover, Thine (possessive) could have been Thouse,
But actually matched Mine.
Speakers of the time, perhaps from sound or pattern, simply used Thine.
Also 'his' was the odd one out, which could have been 'hin'.
'Bruce's hope' was being utilized, but why not 'hin hope'?
However, the final 's' on 'his' began being used
With the other possessive pronouns--just feeling 'normal' to do so.
People with their language hold onto oddities out of habit,
But also, linguistically, seek pattern.
Language is a never-ending process of transformation--
Formerly, the nominative, 'Thou' was the singular,
'Inc' addressed two persons, and for more than two, 'Ye' was spoken.
Historically, further back, there was most probably,
'I, me', and 'that' for he and she, and 'those' for they!
What sounded normal to one, was eventually odd and 'wrong' by another.

Does Banning Things Ever Succeed? opus 591

Just recently, the Taliban of Afghanistan
Have begun to ban the ancient game of Chess.
This revered 'sport' has been pegged as a form of betting.

As authoritative power creeps into our democracy,
Are we witnessing the banning of the ancient 'game' of sex,
Similar, of that occurring in Afghanistan?
Namely, in spite of decades of research,
We now hear the proclamation that there are only two sexes!
All others of the 57 sexual orientations just do not exist--
A true limitation of that variation of this ancient 'game'.

Can a Monkey Really Read? opus 592

In Hong Kong, monkeys have been witnessed
Destroying something very relevant to their outreach--
Namely, signs which read: 'Do Not Feed the Monkeys!'

Adumbrations of Death opus 593

At the age of nearly 84, it is inevitable, my sensing the nearing of death.
On the longest day of the year, and doing farm chores myself,
I broke the work session into two,
Resting in between the feeding and the overseeing.
(Jessie, my man, was away on his wedding anniversary.)
I was, as usual, slow in my walk and efforts.
At about four, I sat and went through mail,
Enjoying the outside breeze and afternoon diminishing temperatures.
I felt then, I should lie down to rest for a moment,
As my chest felt light and I pondered what was to pass.
I wondered whether or not this might truly be near my extinguishment.
There was no pain, just that feeling of lightness.
I had no fear nor panic; just a soft feeling of possible finality.
I slowly arose from bed and poured a cup of Sake,
Returned to my restful repose, and felt more normal.
I guess I shall survive this wonderment towards the ultimate end.
Well, perhaps this was merely a rehearsal of what it might be like.
I have never panicked concerning my possible death,
This being a gentle preamble to that which is inevitably on its way.

Is Selection Our Mindless Life Guide? opus 594

From my boyhood, and I was a very inquisitive child,
I started learning about mammals,
By first studying all aspects of my childhood domestic rabbits,
And along with that, an intense study of our avian neighbors.
Audubon Camps and bird counts kept me up to snuff.
Of course also dinosaurs--but to a lesser extent than others my age,
Although, later in life, teaching in Africa,
I ferreted out the remnant tracks of the former dinosaur inhabitants,
Making many plaster casts of their plodding on earth in good future sandstone.
Now, even later in life, I am fascinated and overwhelmed
With the 25,000 species of trilobite,
Which densely populated the earth-seas for about 270 million years.
Their morphology and progressive evolution towards greater elaboration,
Was perhaps part of their end; Their ever-more elaborate morphology
For sexual competition getting the best of them.
Remember the Irish Elk with their competing secondary-sexual-character antlers,
With which the males could no longer bear in competition.
This might demonstrate that 'mindless' selection to a 'double' end-adaptation,
Can result where one, 'out-evolves' the other's 'benefit' and extinction occurs!
Perhaps this questions the thought of a loving deity,
Guiding 'all its creatures' to a perfect existence.

There's Carbon dioxide, But What of Methane? opus 595

There is great awareness (by many, but far too few),
Of the slow metamorphosis of our atmosphere
From increasing CO2 levels which is causing warming
And thus melting of our great ice sheets
As well as dangerous acidification of our seas.
But now consider, with warming of our planet,
The slow, but steady melting of the tundra,
With simultaneous release of methane from the frozen organic matter.
(Yes, we also observe methane escaping from gas wells,
And many other 'leaking' sources about the planet, as well.)
Sinking roads and villages are becoming obsolete, demanding abandonment.
Moreover, when one descends underground
Into the experimental deep pits below the surface,
The immediate stench of decaying material is more than evident.
This will be the future great challenge for the human population.
Will the O2/methane balance remain in favor of O2?
Be reminded of the methane (reduction) atmosphere of the past,
And how stromatolites overwhelmed all life,
With their need for CO2 and their exhaled O2,
Shifting our atmosphere to what we know today.

Pugnacious News opus 596

Have you ever noticed on news broadcasts with highlights only,
And in addition, when a USA war is raging somewhere,
That there are two items reported together--
The first is obviously the war
And the second are the 'important' sports results!
The first is the real-life dangerous pugnacity, where lives are at risk,
And the second is ritual pugnacity, where lives possibly might be at risk.
I thus guess for humans needing vital information,
These two subjects will always be at the top of the list.

An Unintended Holiday Consequence opus 597

Tariffs are slowly (?) seeping into our society and economy.
China, the recipient of many tariffs, has this year pulled a 'fast one',
Or better, we have pulled the 'fast one' on ourselves!
For the 2026 US 250th anniversary, when fireworks are a paramount item,
Tariffs now at 30% and possibly may suddenly rise to as much as 140%,
Are already placing a real damper on both 'back yard'
And professionally performed ceremonies around the nation.
Beyond that, the commercial purchasers of fireworks
Have no idea as to what to do for next year,
Because our fireworks, almost 95% of which are Chinese manufactured,
Must be ordered one year ahead of time.
A possible balanced conclusion could be
That our ceremonies might be dimmer,
But with climate change, the danger of fires may burn less bright.

Mass Deportation and the Cost to Society opus 598

Mass deportation is being attempted, but there is a new (?) recognition
That farm workers, as well as hotel and restaurant laborers and meat packers are vital.
The decision to spare these 'personnel' goes back and forth.
When one looks at just immigrants, let alone illegal immigrants,
Their economic contributions goes into the trillions of dollars--
To completely remove this group or groups of people, depending on their length of stay,
Would be an absolute economic loss to our economy.
The only way to replace these workers is through the recruitment of more immigrants!
Are our leaders so filled with their deportation goals
That they are paying no attention to the effects of their efforts on the economy?
Also the cost for increased law enforcement and for deportation camps,
Could total 80% of all of the federal law enforcement budget.
What could save all this is a year-round 'farm worker visa'.
This would prevent the negative consequences and future illegal immigration.
Why was this relatively simple solution not implemented long ago?

What of the Pictish Stone Creatures' Orientations? opus 599

Having observed the many Pictish carved standing stones,
Created from about 500 AD to 800 AD in Northern Scotland,
I have often questioned the reason, most creature figures face to the right.
Although there probably is no correct answer,
There could be several reasons just why this had occurred.
Concerning cultural significance, such orientation may have symbolized
A connection to the afterlife or spiritual beliefs.
Perhaps it was due only to a common artistic convention.
Would a symbolic direction represent positive attributes or good fortune?
Perhaps there was a narrative flow or some historical influence.
Right-facing figures might have been part of certain rituals or ceremonies.
Finally, as most humans (90%) have been right-handed,
Their figures follow a flow of the eye from left to right.
Whatever caused this orientation, and without a true written language,
We may never know,
But instead must continue to marvel in their stone-carved figures.

A New Stab at Creating Abiogenesis-Life opus 600

The 1953 Miller-Urey experiment utilized an abiogenesis method
To create life (or at least some amino acids),
From non-living molecules which included
Ammonia, methane, hydrogen, and water all subjected
To an electric bolt to simulate lightning.

A new parallel experiment included electrical exchange between
Charged water droplets in a mist with a diameter of 1 to 20 microns.
Large droplets were positively charged and small, negatively charged.
Also present in that mist was ammonia, CO2, methane, and nitrogen.
During this process carbon-nitrogen molecular bonds were formed.
The charged water droplets emitted light and spark,
Yielding a chemical transformation.
The idea is that lightning may have been too infrequent to 'create' life,
But water spray might have been a more likely scenario--
The mist-generated microlightning, giving rise to amino acids and life!

An alternative hypothesis is still ever-present:

Hydrothermal ocean vents produce amino acids
With the combination of seawater, hydrogen-rich fluids
And the extreme pressure, deep below the sea.

Still another hypothesis is that organic molecules are formed in space
And carried (panspermia) by comets or fragments of asteroids

Whatever turns out to be correct on our 'Blue Marble',
We realize that water is the important, crucial element for life--
More important in the life-producing process than formerly acknowledged.

The Intriguing Trilobite opus 601

Six hundred million years ago a modest-sized sea creature
Evolutionarily emerged onto earth's oceanic stage.
This creature was first 'discovered' in the 17th century,
By an Englishman, who noticed a body divided into three segments.
He designated this group improperly, but named them TRIlobites,
Because of the three basic portions of the shelled body.
That name has stuck for this generally well-known fossil group.
Over the 270 million years' reign, 25,000 various species evolved.
Those who are familiar with the wonderful morphology of these Arthropods,
The majority would not be able to describe the ventral side of this creature,
As the lower portion of soft parts almost never were fossilized.
After studying this group for a while,
Curiosity overcame me and I had to investigate.
No wonder only a very few ventral fossilizations have been observed--
There are a mass of legs, two antennae, mouth parts--
Mostly soft structures which normally do not fossilize.
Being a biologist, 'discovering' a new view on life,
I experienced here one of those 'highs of discovery'.
These are the things that can give discerning and inquisitive humans
A feeling of worth and joy by being a thinking and discovering person.

More Guns and More Gas opus 602

As the numbers of guns increase,
So also, shall more mindless deaths.

As earthly CO2 levels increase,
So shall the entire world be profoundly affected.

And, now--the newer challenge of Methane as the Arctic thaws;
How might we humans react to this even more profound challenge?

A Note to Harriet opus 603

From our core values, we create our purpose.
Has one's life been sometimes a empty hole of basic meaninglessness?
Are you concerned about things around you which may cause spiritual unease?
With a drive of life, difficult tasks become fearless and almost effortless.
Be with fellow humans who know more than you,
And always know, when things are too much to realistically bear,
Modify the effort, but do not necessarily give up.
Activity, no matter how small, maintains our will to live
And basically keeps us alive, so that our purpose remains alive.

Another Dream Remembered opus 604

Once again, I came out of a vivid dream, most of which I recounted:
I was in a grassy suburb with nearby buildings.
She--an Indian Asian looking lovely woman--just appeared.
We walked closely and talked together. I felt wanted and at ease.
Until then, I explained, why I had not held her hand--
I wanted to be sure, before exhibiting such in public.
I gently kissed her neck and felt her soft arm.
Then, she left to do something--I know not what.
I walked up and down over grassy hills nearby.
She did not return.

As I woke, I realized the 'She' was Seta, my first high school love.
Upon further thought,
Because of the smaller nose than that of Seta's (she was Armenian),
This must have also been Nora, my late wife.
Both of these women have been indelible,
But have, indeed, forever left my life.

The Weight of Two X Chromosomes opus 605

Could there truly be a benevolent, all-knowing deity creator?
Just compare the relative ease with which men (X/Y) 'sail' through life,
While women (X/X), the absolute necessity for the continuation of human life,
Must go through such relative torment to be bearers of that life.
Large breasts--unlike any other ape-- are permanently formed--
A possible platform for cancer.
Then menstruation, continually forming 'ripe' eggs
(But inconveniently in between the bleeding periods),
Until one is finally nabbed by a sperm to create an offspring.
Birth, often very difficult or deadly,--
And then several years of producing milk to feed such offspring--
Sometimes too much with accompanying pain and other times, paucity.
Then the female is discarded from reproductive abilities,
Through the process of menopause--far sooner in life than her male counterpart.
What makes this all happen,
Is that women are endowed with a longing for an offspring--a child.
And thus, such longing, masks the clear thinking,
Concerning all the trials she must go through (sometimes alone),
Allowing human kind to reproduce and multiply for the benefit of the species.

Grooming May Be the Undoing of Vampire Bats opus 606

Vampire Bats drink blood of course, but they also spread rabies.
A campaign was launched to eradicate these bats
Near areas where cattle abounded and were affected.
Utilizing the knowledge that Vampires groom themselves and each other,
Poisons were used to smear on the hair of captured bats,
Which would return to their colonies to groom and spread the poisons.
Killing the bats was working, except for the fact
That as the colony declined, the remaining bats dispersed,
Spreading the rabies elsewhere. Not good.
Then a vaccine for rabies was substituted
Thus, not affecting the bats, except to inoculate them to be rabies-free.
It was not the taste of the 'potion', but rather the intense behavior
Of the bats to get rid of this terrible stuff off their backs and pass it on!

Diminution of Codfish in Our Food Chain opus 607

Evolution? Humans actually causing evolution?
Nonsense!
Well, here's one for you, oh you doubters.
Codfish have been pursued and netted for centuries,
Capturing these one-meter-long beauties.
As time proceeded, those smaller adults escaped the nets.
The human selective pressure was always removing the 'big ones'.
This slowly shifted the selective adaptation to an ever-smaller size.
So, as a result of 'we-clever-humans',
With our superior technology and frequency of use therewith,
We have literally destroyed a prize and sought-for prey,
To an unwanted and undesired minimal size,
Because of the unheeding and ignorant knowledge of adaptation,
Through evolution and the process of natural selection.

Are Audio Books a Form of Reading? opus 608

The ability to read is an important aspect of human life.
The debate has begun as to whether audio books count as reading.
According to an NPR-Ipsos poll,
40% of adults felt such books were not a form of reading:
This poll was comprised of men 65 years old and older,
And those with no four-year college degree.
But what does science say? No significant difference,
Between reading, or listening to, or doing both.
The information retained was basically the same!
HOWEVER, school-aged students did worse when utilizing audio alone.
In other words, they comprehended, understood, and recalled less than readers.
So, when one is learning to read, one needs the actual experience of reading!

Recognition of the Skewed Nose opus 609

Being a biologist, I often look at the morphology of humans,
As well as that of fellow creatures.
I am fascinated, for instance, as to how a female newscaster might be chosen--
Certainly the ability to speak and relate the news,
But also, assuredly, from an attractive appearance.
I have a little game, 'nosing in' on the orientation of the other's 'nose-appearance'.
I often see a very attractive newscaster with a quite offset nose position.
Is such a morphology simply overlooked or not even contemplated upon?
For me, this might be one of the important criteria to contemplate.
There are many causes of nose orientation--I am considering those of minor causes.
The type of crooked nose or deviated septum occurs when the septum leans to one side.
About 80% of humans have some degree of deviated septum!
Causes might be with issues of the bones, cartilage, or other tissues in the nose.
In addition, causes might also be from birth irregularities, injury, or results from surgery.
But, most often, a crooked nose is the result of a deviated septum.
By homing in on this feature, I can actually contemplate
One more interesting feature of the human aspect.

Mimicry opus 610

As a child, I was always fascinated with mimicry in nature.
Flies that evolved to depict bees and butterflies to mimic each other.
There are scores of examples--just get a good book!
As a New England boy, I was fixed on the Monarch/Viceroy phenomenon.
The Monarch caterpillar feeds and survives on milkweed with all its toxins.
The adult emerges crystalis-wise as a toxic adult, flashing warnings of red.
Young birds, et al, soon learn of this terrible taste,
And are severely dissuaded from preying on this deceptively delicious morsel.
Somehow, along comes a similarly red tidbit, but delicious--the Viceroy.
Over time the Viceroy butterfly evolved ever-closer to better mimic the Monarch.
The Viceroy is tasty--the Monarch is not.
Selection and adaptation finally favored both these species.
As my thinking progressed, and just for fun, I looked at human 'mimicry'.
This was not genetic, but rather behavioral mimicry.
Consider the Romans invading the Celtic world with a plethora of red-haired women.
The warriors brought the tales of these exotic-looking females
Back to their dark-haired women.
Soon, red hair dyes were concocted to be equal to that of the attractive Celts,
Thus confirming my thoughts concerning the notion of behavioural mimicry.
Who knows, in addition, what genetic mutations might have resulted from such?
Just a Thought!

(Because of increased scientific knowledge a portion
of this poem is incorrect. See 'Mimicry Refined' opus 619).

An Interview Using the 'Wobbly Chair Test' opus 611

Interviewers seeking good employees may well use the 'Wobbly Chair Test'.
It entails two chairs; one set a little aside which is totally normal.
The interviewee's primary chair by the interviewer has one leg cut a bit short.
This enables the latter chair to not sit straight and to wobble.
The test is, will the interviewee notice and remark on the unsteady chair,
Momentarily stop the interview, and ask to exchange chairs;
Or will 'they' (notice the 'singular they' employed here)
Continue to wobble and uncomfortably continue with the procedure?
Of course the interviewer is interested in whether or not
The one interviewed takes initiative in a situation
And notices something that needs improvement.
Of course, if the person interviewed is shy and does not speak up,
The establishment may possibly lose an otherwise potentially good employee.
Presumably, all that depends on the good insight the interviewer may have at that moment.

The Momentum of Speech opus 612

I have been struggling doing business on the phone,
Especially with young women.
Because they talk so fast, it is difficult to follow at times.
The scuttlebutt is that Gen-Zers talk faster than Millenials,
Because of the former being exclusively exposed
To the ever-expanding, all-consuming, social media.
Also, scientists record that greater numbers of women
Are using a growly, creaky, 'annoying' speech pattern now named 'vocal fry'.
But why, in general, are people speaking faster now?
One study implies that listeners find fast-talkers more persuasive.
Slow speakers can be assumed to be less intelligent or competent,
While very fast talkers might be seen as less truthful or less kindhearted.
In a competitive society, people might hurry their words for fear of being interrupted.
A bustling, competitive or clamorous school environment might reinforce rapid speech;
A child or older student learns to speak hastily to be heard.
If we interrupt each other in society, rapid speech becomes a survival skill.

Social dynamics in our high pressured society
May have a great influence on women's speech:
Women are taking a greater role in the workplace,
Competing with men, who some surveys show, talk faster,
So it is natural that young women compete back by also speaking faster.
The other factor, along with this, is that sexes mimic each other
And just like cultural mimicry with an accent,
Speed might also be imitated so that one better fits in with peers.
High pressure workplaces require quick information delivery.
Fear of interruption in that workplace causes a rush to finish thoughts.
And if there is emotional intensity involved,
This might lead to uncontrolled rapid speech.

At any rate in my nearly 84 years listening to others speak,
I definitely notice an increase in speaking velocity,
Especially in young women, who are definitely
Dominating the telephone answering services.
This is not prejudice, but merely an old guy observing his fellows.

Hope is the Enemy of Courage opus 613

At age 19 while attending Antioch College in Yellow Springs, Ohio
A very intellectually stimulating academic institution,
I came across a book, 'Faith of a Heretic',
Written by a Yale Philosophy Professor, Walter Kaufman, in 1959.
The subject included not to hope, but to get in and do it.
My whole life seems to have followed that philosophy.

As a child I wanted to build a treehouse 30 feet high in an oak.
And I did so.
As a 10-year-old, I had a 'nature club' for 'younger' kids!
It went well, considering my tender age.
I wished to continue my father's abandoned large vegetable garden.
And I did so with my little brother.
I wanted to have a large pond for my huge carp and snapping turtles.
And I dug it.
I wanted to earn a PhD at Cornell.
And I earned it!
During my teaching job in Africa, I wanted to learn beekeeping with the aggressive African bee.
And I carefully learned the art.
I wished, back in the US, to start a polyculture educational farm; the Environmental Education Farm Foundation.
And, laboriously, I managed and did so.
I decided I must save California wildlife land and created the Quail Ridge Conservancy (Land Trust).
And it, with lots of effort, manifested itself, eventually becoming part of UC Davis.
I learned of the languishing of the creation of legislation for a California State Grass.
And after four years it was passed.
I worked in Wyoming to protect 7,000 acres of wildlife acreage.
And after 20 years,it was accomplished.
I learned I was a Pict of Scotland and established myself as a stone carver.
Lots of effort and work to do so!
After Nora, my late wife passed, I decided to create and manage a UCD Student Endowment.
And, believe it or not, it is functioning.
I wished then to create a 'Poems and Thoughts' website for my children to remember my life.
And now it consists of 580 plus poems for their, and others' thinking.

What I am saying is that the old philosopher's words were always there for me to manifest;
From childhood to near death, I have attempted to meet the challenge of my passions.
My advice to the next generation is to do such--
Never demur in your true passions and accomplish what you desire and must do. May it be good.

Lesotho--Where's That? opus 614

Did you happen to catch it, when President Trump said,
"No one has ever heard of Lesotho."
 (Pronounced LES SOO TOO, a very small Southern African country.)
The subject of Lesotho came up because Trump placed a 50% tariff thereon.
Trump may not have heard of Lesotho, but the Basotho have heard of him.
I, personally, had heard of Lesotho, the country,
Because I was an 'English lecturer' (assistant professor) in their university about 1976.
This country was and still is one of the poorest countries in the world.
When I lived and taught there, the poverty was evident.
Young boys, tending goats in the wild, were still hunting mice,
To be roasted over a small fire, providing a small amount of needed protein.
The hunting weapon was a sharpened stick called a Tsenene.
In the winter, children wrapped themselves in a single blanket,
And walked around with bare feet on a very cold earth-surface.
As I remember, perhaps Denmark (?), had started a clothing company to create jobs.
This infant industry has now grown to produce and become 'the denim capitol' of Africa.
They also produce the golf shirts of clothing, which even Trump himself wears!
The 50% huge tariff, Trump placed on Lesotho because of the 'trade imbalance'--
Lesotho actually exports more to the US, because it is so poor; US products being relatively too expensive.
As a result, their clothing companies are challenged, losing trade because of the excessive prices--
Businesses are closing, workers are being laid off,
And a long fought-for national industry is, because of Trump's complete ignorance of the situation,
experiencing crumbling sources of desperately needed employment.
Meanwhile the tariff has somewhat mercifully been reduced to 15%,
But the Mosotho Secretary of State reports it will require many months for the needed recovery.
Yet one more tragedy in a long line of uninformed legislation.

Challenges for a Professional Female Pilot opus 615

As you may have read in my previous writing,
I learned to meet the challenges of flying as a young pilot.
I realized there were many difficult tasks to learn.
I did not become a professional commercial pilot
And had never thought about the additional challenges,
If I were a female, seeking to become a professional pilot.
Besides having to wear a man's shirt and tie in my uniform,
I would have to work, and still have proper leave for childbirth,
And beyond that, just how would the health regulations
Deal with the vagaries of menopause?
Women today are dealing with these female-related challenges,
As they enter, as women, into yet another very man-oriented profession.

Are We Witnessing the Downfall of a Great Democracy? opus 616

So many 'props' for so many are being kicked out from under.
Our democracy, our parks, our research, our meds, our schools,
Our information sources, our relationships with each other.
Such phenomena have rarely been witnessed before.
As an old elder, there are feelings streaming through my bones.

Codfish Are Becoming Greatly Reduced in Size. An Additional Thought opus 617

Is it possible for humans to 'cause' an evolutionary process?
Nonsense! Impossible! But wait.
Three foot Eastern Baltic Codfish have been harvested for centuries.
But in the last few decades, reduced size of fish have been continually reported.
In 1996 their size was 3 feet; in 2019, half that size; now one fits in two hands.
Is this due to climate change or to fishing activity?
Using larger nets, the smaller fish escaped easily; an advantage being small.
After a fishing ban in 2019, the genetics of the fish maintained their small size.
Upon examining otoliths (from the inner ear) collected between 1996 and 2019,
They demonstrated that the growth rings showed slower size increase.
In addition, the DNA corroborated that same conclusion.
Ever-smaller parent fish are generating ever-smaller offspring.
This indicates that the cods' evolution is pressured externally.
The scientists conclude that this evolutionary process is driven by human activity.
They conclude that, "This is scientifically fascinating, but ecologically deeply concerning."

A Story of the American Bullfrog opus 618

American Bullfrogs (Lithobates catesbeianus, used to be Rana sp.)
Were introduced into California in the late 1800's (1896?).
The main thrust was to form a basis for a new food industry!
In addition, thoughts featured the pet industry and recreational purposes.
During the Gold Rush, miners ate up to 80,000 Red-legged frogs (Rana draytonii) a year.
This nearly wiped out that native population of frog,
Thus, the concept for a new food industry in the State.
But hungry miners are not a model to be used for a less hungry general population.
Frog legs were commonly consumed pre-1900 and thousands of pounds
Were even annually harvested and exported throughout the US.
When the demand for frog meat was not realized,
The captive frogs were released into the wild, causing ecological havoc,
By disrupting the delicate balance of California's ecosystems.
Female Bullfrogs lay clutches of up to 20,000 eggs, twice a year.
These frogs consume a wide range of prey, including
Aquatic eggs, insects, fish, birds (including young ducklings) and small mammals,
Some of which are native species, already threatened or endangered.
Bullfrogs are carriers of chytridiomycosis which has devastated amphibians worldwide.
Their presence has led to changes in nutrient cycling and water quality.
Bullfrogs are so adaptable, that it is difficult to manage control.
Just the cost to the State attempting control has been very expensive.
On a positive note, these frogs are now used in research,
Studying developmental biology, physiology, and ecology.
When introducing a non-native species of any kind, one must always be aware
Of the unintended consequences which may result.

(Note: I first looked into this introduced species,
Suspecting that the Calaveras Frog Jumping Contest
May have been the source for this introduction,
But the Contest was just part of the whole phenomenon.)

A Radioactive Wasp Nest? opus 619

A radioactive wasp nest was discovered
In a South Carolina site which formerly made parts for nuclear bombs.
There are routine radiation checks and the nest was found
Near where tanks of liquid nuclear waste is stored.
The radiation level was 10 times allowed by federal regulations.
The nest was sprayed with insecticide and disposed of.
No leak appeared from the waste tanks.
The nest seemed to be radioactive from residual radioactivity.
There is yet no conclusion from where the actual radioactivity came.
Of course, there is the possibility of another such contaminated nest,
If there is a positive leak somewhere.
Some wasps use dirt and others use other materials to construct their nests.
It therefore may be crucial to know the type of wasp nest. (Yes, absolutely!)
There may be no public danger, as wasps fly near their nests.
It is assumed that the wasps' radioactive level would have been lower than the nest.
This is a wrinkle in the radioactive 'danger story'.

Mimicry Refined opus 620

(See previous thought 'Mimicry' opus 608)

Well, there are advantages and disadvantages to living so long.
For me, the subject of mimicry appears to be one.
A wonderful naturalist friend caught this in my last Mimicry prose-poem,
Namely, that I grew up learning the Monarch butterfly was toxic
And that the Viceroy mimic was 'spared', while still being a tasty morsel.
This type of mimicry is called Batesian mimicry.
In the 1990's, it was discovered that the Viceroy was also toxic.
I had not caught up with this new knowledge,
Thus erroneously so wrote in the previous 'Mimicry'.
This other classification is called Muellerian co-mimicry,
Where, in this case, both species are mimics and both are toxic.
This results in an even stronger defence for the two species.
To make things more complicated,
The Viceroy is mimicked by the Queen and Soldier butterflies,
Both of which are also toxic! In this region, Monarchs are rare.
Will wonders never cease?

Summer Splashes of Red opus 621

It is July and the White-crowned and Golden-crowned Sparrows
Have long departed.
The feeders are empty and quiet after a winter's bustling.
Suddenly, there appeared a beautiful House Sparrow pair--
Sparrow-brown, but the male with splashes of red
On chest, neck, and crown of the head.
How joyous that little dinosaurs of another ilk
Have come to feed and amuse my eyes with their dancing!

Radioactive Rhinoceroses? opus 622

The poaching of elephants and rhinos is done by those who have no reverence
For earth's ancient creatures--only for monetary ivory and 'aphrodisiac--horns'.

Yet another plan to cease this horrible murder--
Insertion of a radioactive chip, placed into the rhino's horn.
With this insertion, horns may be detected and origins traced.
It appears the radioactivity will not harm the bearer.
So much effort, just to attempt the survival
Of an incredible and ancient elder of the mammalian world.
But, another aspect of this whole situation,
Is that, there must be more of an effort
To involve the local citizenry to feel a part of things,
Thus having a stake in the preservation of these creatures.
Local care and efforts towards preservation
Is the only way this horror will ultimately be averted.

'Number Five' opus 623

Rowan, my grandson, is now 'number five'--
His fifth birthday was 6 August.
He called me while driving with Pierre, his father.
His school is out and he was going
To his other grandparents for the day.
He was so excited to now be five.
I wonder if I might talk with him when he is twenty five?
Or I muse if I might last until he is fifteen.
When he comes to visit for my birthday, I have ready
A lovely green malachite piece of copper-based stone,
A shimmering 'artificial' lump of crystals,
A shiny silver Kennedy 50 cent coin, along with a trilobite,
And a miniature of an Emperor Penguin in color.
Plus a lovely children's book for his Dad or Mom to read to him.
Happy Birthday, Rowan.

The Tattooer opus 624

Might you comprehend the life of a tattooer?
Well, heesh must be, obviously, an artist,
With an ever steady hand and a flawless eye.
As the needle passes over the flesh,
There are few chances to correct any flaw.
But, beyond the challenges of art,
A tattooer must always bend over hiser work.
The strain of such continual posture,
Slowly challenges proper posture
Along with the strain on the back.
Beware and take heed tattooers,
And know that the cryptic challenge
Is waiting to diminish your productivity.

Is the Sky Really Blue? opus 625

Most every day we are living under a 'deceptively-covering dome'.
It is the sky. Is the sky really the blue we all see?
Well, actually, no.
Simply explained, blue light in our atmosphere
Is scattered more than red light, thus the blue sky.
Remember how light is skewed through a prism.
If this is so, then why is it that we don't see a violet sky?
Think of photons bouncing off molecules of air.
But there is a difference between photons and air molecules.
One difference is that the amount of scattering
Depends on the wavelengths (color) of the light.
Shorter wavelengths of light scatter more.
Starting with red to violet (ROY G. BIV),
The wavelengths go from long to short--
So the shorter blue wavelengths are scattered more.
Thus our sky appears blue from all the scattered blue light.

Also sunsets can appear red because blue light is scattered away,
Resulting in a reddish looking sunset.
But still, why doesn't the sky appear violet?
Violet has an even shorter wavelength than blue,
Therefore violet should be scattered more than blue.
So why does the sky not appear violet, or even a violet-blue?
Actually the sky is violet, but appears blue
Because of how our eyes function!
But that is another story.

Do Voters Choose Their Politicians OR Do the Politicians Choose Their Voters? opus 626

The simple thought is that, of course, voters choose their candidates.
In a perfect world, that is what ideally occurs.
But there is a device, disparagingly named Gerrymandering*--
The politicians' manipulation of voting boundaries,
Resulting in the reverse--the politicians' determining their voters.
See what Texas Republicans are now doing
To create five new Representatives in Congress;
And realize the reaction of California--using the same opposing manipulation.
And then multiply another Gerrymandered state, and then another.
We are no longer governing for the good of the people,
But spending all our energy to simply gain power,
With little time to govern wisely for the people.
A tragedy, indeed: A manifestation of insatiable human territorial greed.

(* Gerrymandering was named after Elbridge Gerry (pronounced originally with a hard G),
Massachusetts governor in 1812, who signed a bill, creating a partisan district in the Boston area,
in the shape of a mythical salamander, thus creating the portmanteau 'Gerry-mander'.)

Myself Or Me? opus 627

When they see MYSELF (ME!) cooking, they are impressed.
I can cook anything MYSELF (ME - No, No, No!), in spite of them.
People are, more often, using 'myself' totally incorrecty.
'ME' is a plain old object in a sentence,
While 'myself' reflects back to an ability or an accomplishment;
It is used reflexively (no object), for emphasis, or in absolute constructions.
Eg: I hurt myself; I myself did it; Myself busy, I sent him instead.
So, let's try to get this correct--
I am sure YOU (object) can learn this YOURSELF (reflexive)!
I know language changes, but, please, this misuse is too much.

To Andrew: The Dual Existence of our Saturdays' Time Spans opus 628

Most noble Andrew; It is such as you who nurtures
The human world by caring for another Homo sapiens' offspring,
Plus further caring for that creature which co-evolved with us--
The dog, having evolved by way of human attention from the noble wolf.

While I, in a completely different vein, have spent the day
Toiling to save for conservation, a mere 2660 acres
Of our planet for use by other creatures than just us alone.
Which is more noble, that of the care of a child and dog
Or preserving a mere 2660 acres of the planet's large surface?
Time might tell--a result which neither of us may ever know.
We live with the anticipation that, that for which we exert our energies,
May be manifested to the delight of those angels
Which are only in our mythical heads.

May time Sunday be spared from your Mother's needs,
For us to have a moment of communication under the pine,
 
Juxtaposed by our tiny pond.

To a Fellow Human opus 629

Isn't it interesting that
Two of the most intelligent on the planet,
Decided not to communicate,
Leaving a void of thought
And an emptiness of potential human interaction.

Time may show from pure reasoning,
That that is never a good way to go;
Juxtaposed reasoning and thought may yet prevail!

Pill bugs and Trilobites opus 630

Pill bugs roll up in defense.
So did Trilobites, 500 million years ago.
Both are Arthropods,
One terrestrial, the other marine.
But that is enough said.
The Arthropoda group has greatly diverged.
Convergent evolution has led us to a conclusion--
Life at different times and places,
Often leads to a 'similar solution'.
Evolutionary histories diverge,
Manifesting the complexity and diversity on Earth.

(So called Sow bugs are similar, but can't roll up.)

Watching a Wild Turkey Harvest Seed opus 631

While working in my office, the center of my little universe,
A wild turkey was 'grazing' within sight.
It was working on grass seed from a two-foot-high plant.
As I observed, it was plucking seed from the tall grass,
One seed at a time--repeating this over and over,
When, suddenly, it grabbed the stalk in its bill
And pulled upwards, stripping many seeds at once!
This is how I, as a human, gather groups of seed with an upward pull.
I had never before seen this harvesting technique with a turkey.
I was quite thrilled. See how little things in the world get me so excited.

Me or I? opus 632

My CPA (a young man) emailed me an invitation--
"Can you come to a meeting with Marc and I on Friday at 2?"
I answered: "Yes, Me will be there at 2 on Friday."
Then: "If you can substitute a nominative (I)
For an accusative (me), (. . . with Marc and I . . . ),
So am I able to substitute an accusative (me)
For a nominative (I), (. . . Me will. . .)"

("Just emulating your grammar!")
"All in fun,"  Frank.

An Elder's Views on Aging, Learned While Living as a Youth, With Men Mentally Crippled from War opus 633

One of my Antioch Co-op Jobs was in the Ozarks of Missouri,
Girdling old oaks to improve the forest with a subclimax of pine.
Every day I went out and 'doubled-axed' my way down each long ridge.
Winter's snows came and went, then Spring and I saw my first wild lizards!

I lodged in a boarding house which catered to several men,
Mentally crippled from WWII and Korea-- all unable to cope in society.
On weekends, I would spend some time with each,
Conversing and interacting as each was able.
I built up friendships and learned something about war's effects on them.
It made a deep impression on me as a twenty-year-old.
So much so, that in graduate school at Cornell,
While the brutal Vietnam War was raging, (1966),
I declared myself a pacifist, registering with the US government.
I was then voted in as President of the Quaker 'Young Friends' organization
And led a protest walk across the US/Canadian Peace Bridge.

Those men in Missouri, expounding their stories and plights,
Have affected me to this day, in the ways I conduct my life's activities.
I shall never forget them--I can still picture the face of each one.

Libyan Desert Glass opus 634

As a boy, I lived in Newton, Massachusetts, about 10 miles from the Atlantic.
Occasionally my parents would take us children to the beach.
Much less frequently, I would walk the beach and find pieces of worn glass.
Later, living in California, I would travel to towns 
Where waste was formerly and sadly dumped into the sea.
Amongst the old pots and pans, batteries, car parts, and electronics,
One would find pieces of water-worn bits of glass of many colors.

Now, with an added interest in meteorites and tektites,
I have even later learned of Libyan Desert Glass, 29,000,000 years old.
 
These random glass chunks of usually yellow, but sometimes dark or green,
Were discovered in one fall in 1932--the specimens I have were collected in 2008.

So, just how is this glass of the desert actually formed?
Well, we have great heat and sand--a suspicious combination.
And why is this glass found only in this particular desert?
By chance, a meteorite fell in the Libyan Desert;
Hot material; which on contact, melted the sand, forming glass 'blobs'!
A second hypothesis states that glass was formed from an airburst.
It appears this is one of the very few areas on a desert, except the Sahara,
Where this has serendipitously occurred.
What a wonderful find to enchant those outer space lovers.
If this enthralls you, look up how a tektite is formed--
So subtlely different than the formation of this wonderful Libyan Desert Glass!

A Follow-up on 'Number Five' opus 635

I previously wrote a note about Rowan's (grandson's) birthday.
When he arrived to celebrate my birthday,
He immediately pulled out a small lava stone.
He said it was from his bar-b-que and was for me.
The party continued on, until I reminded him of his lava stone gift.
I asked if he would like to see one of my big red lava stones.
He responded affirmatively and I said it was by the porch. 
Astoundingly, he gave a quick nod and ran to that destination,
Knowing exactly where it was.
Barely being able to lift it, he moved it out into the open.
He looked at it, rubbed it, and then sat on it.
I asked him if he would like that stone in exchange for his.
Immediately he responded and posed for photos, sitting on his new gift.
Thus leaving a happy grandpa with a little lava stone
And a five-year-old boy with more than he was able to carry!

Deep Sea Mining of Polymetallic Nodules opus 636

The new potential of deep sea mining 
For ever-more-needed metals is looming large.
The seabed in places is littered with polymetallic nodules,
Containing nickel, cobalt, manganese, and copper.
Mining firms claim the deep seabed could provide 
A major new source for these minerals.
The nodules could be retrieved with an uncrewed collector--bus size,
By crawling along the seabed, hoovering up nodules, 
Which are sent up in a miles-long tube to a waiting ship.
Are there environmental impacts with this method?
Supporters say it will cause less disturbance than terrestrial mining.
However, many marine scientists and policy makers disagree--
Sea sponges and anemones grow on the nodules;
Sediment plumes from the mining may harm creatures used to clear water;
Noise pollution could interfere with animal communication and navigation;
Yet unknown species may be eliminated before identification.
Hundreds of researchers have called for a pause because of a knowledge gap.
Some companies like auto makers and tech firms
Have pledged not to use seabed minerals.
One mining company is developing robots that would hover above the seabed,
With mechanical arms to pluck only uncolonized nodules,
Thus eliminating sediment plumes, reduce noise pollution, leaving the seabed intact
Such a robot needs further deep sea testing for validation.
International regulations are in a turmoil, with several mining firms ready to begin!
Once again desperation for resources, accompanied with capitalism,
May result in yet one more environmental habitat to be in great danger.

Katrina Devastates New Orleans opus 637

Katrina--20 years ago today. (29 August 2005).
A storm avenging a city built below seabed.
A city surrounded by inferior levees.
People receiving inadequate warnings.
And many others who would have no way to retreat.
The transport, rescuing people, but refusing their pets.
Water rising so fast, even a rooftop was inadequate. 
Corpses bound to poles to prevent their washing away.
Many dispersing to neighboring states,
Where soon thereafter were once again struck by Hugo's deluge!
How can we live? Where might we go?
Is our manner of living actually the very cause
Of our ultimate downfall?

The Taco Bell / Voice opus 638

Taco Bell has installed hundreds of AI devices,
In their Drive Thru windows, much to the dismay of customers.
Besides trying to get the AI to comprehend a verbalized order,
Several customers are fighting back.
To get a human to intervene with the AI / customer interaction,
One customer asked the AI for an order of 18,000 paper cups!
No one knows if that customer did drive away with all those cups.

It's All in Your Mind opus 639

Our foods have, for centuries, been brightened with dyes--
Cheeses made more yellow, margarine dyed to better compete with butter.
Alternatively, many are truly concerned about artificially brightening our food.
Caving to pressure, General Mills stopped dying Fruit Loops,
But soon relented back to dyes, resulting from a barrage of complaints.
Humans, and especially we 'Americans', must just ingest colorful food,
Claiming with no actual proof, that colorful food just 'plain tastes better'!
This is another example where things might all just 'be in your mind'.

Yet Another School Shooting opus 640

School shootings are becoming regular affairs.
For a twisted mind, killing children 
Has a similar lustful draw as to that of pornography.
Those in Congress who refuse to vote against guns of any sort,
Do so, simply, for fear of the gun industry
As well as for losing votes from constituents
Who interpret the Second Amendment 
Far from what the original writers would have allowed,
With a State Armory to hold state (not private) weapons.
We are frozen in a tragic, deadly deadlock.

Sulphur Butterfly Migration opus 641

Well, it's that time. Small yellow butterflies massacred on the roads.
Here, west of Davis, they seem to be migrating southwest.
It is not only the Monarch that migrates (north and south)--
Other species including the aforementioned Yellow Sulphurs do the same,
Although their migration pattern is much more local.
Dispersal of species assures new feeding grounds,
New opportunities to mate, and more favorable 
Overwintering of adults, larvae, or eggs.

Just think of the massive human migrations--
New territory, new hunting, new interaction with potential mates.
All life is quite similar in its quest for survival.
New territory depicts new opportunities.
Will we really inhabit the moon or mars?
To some, seems foolish, but there are always those dreamers.

Another View of Death opus 642

A man was walking in a field with his daughter.
The two came upon the carcass of a mouse.
The father, seeing this as an opportunity to discuss death,
Begins to talk with his daughter.
The young child notices the masses of ants covering the mouse body.
The father realizes that the subject must now include decomposition,
And gently urges the girl to come away.
Walking a 'ways from the body, the girl turns back to the mouse.
She continues to watch the ants moving over and in the corps,
And turns to her father, "Look how these ants love this mouse!"
The yet untutored mind of a child, 
Often yields an unexpected, creative conclusion.

(This account reminds me of the two previous observations I made
about Rowan (g-son) and the opossum body found in our field.)

Usurpation of a Family Name opus 643

There was a family immigrating to the US,
Many decades ago, when Ellis Island was in vogue.
They were sitting on the hard-wooden benches,
Listening for their surname to be called out,
But which seemed never to be announced.
Suddenly a name commenced to be called--
Repeatedly.
No one responded. The seconds dragged on.
The father of the family rose and claimed that name.
Procedures evolved and the family 
Had a new name and a new nation.
Was this right or wrong?
What happened to the family who may have belatedly arrived,
Finding only that they were disqualified--
Sending them back to their nascent nation?
Were they escaping hardship or persecution?
History will never let us know.
Presently, the 'borrowing' ('thieving') family
Jokingly relates the story as a family triumph.

In these difficult political days for our country,
Would the harsh, present regime find them out,
Deporting them without a single humanitarian thought?
Again, we may never know, 
But such illegality has occurred throughout our history.

'Daddy' opus 644

My, there he is, sitting in his own egocentric self portrait.
Civil War hat and black shirt, with burning Chicago painted behind him--
One of his many cities, he was as president,
Benevolently to nurture, guide, and care for, as all before him.
'I love the smell of deportation in the morning ...'

I remember we voted in a president; lowering food prices;
And one who would not touch our vital Medicare;
One who aspired to earn a Nobel Peace Prize.
In reality, just what have we unleashed upon ourselves,
And all of the world around us?

Benjamin Franklin's Family Bout with Smallpox opus 645

I am relating this from a long-line of memory.
A British wife-nurse of a diplomat in Turkey,
Gained access to a harem and conversed with the women.
She learned how women combated smallpox
By inoculating in a gash in the arm, smallpox pus from a diseased person.
This was a primitive manner of vaccination (variolation).
Eighty percent of those participating survived.
Back in England she introduced this brutal, but effective preventative.
British doctors began to accept this idea--even though she was a woman.
But accepting this idea, initially, resulted in most doctors rejecting the method.

Benjamin Franklin in America was confronted with this 'cure' for his two boys.
He waited to inoculate his four-year-old, Francis Folger, being 'under the weather'.
Francis died on 21 November 1736 and this was greatly lamented by his father.
In Franklin's time 20 percent died--the remaining lived and survived!
The odds today are greatly better (90 percent), yet we have doubters.
How long will it take for us, once again, 
To truly learn the basics of medicine, without politics?

On the Wall opus 646

Young, early sun rays on the wall.
Sleepy eyes first opening to the day.
All is still, anticipating unfolding time.
Quick shadow flashes on the wall;
Just for a paused second--
Hummingbird hovering by the window.

The Six Ring Benzine Menace opus 647

The US intake of sugar is directly proportional to temperature.
When temperature rises, sugar intake increases.
Most of this sugar intake is through soft drinks.
By the end of the century, it is estimated that yearly 
Per capita intake will be at least a one pound increase.
Soft drink companies now calculate production
By following temperature rise from weather predictions.
Climate change is already causing
The deterioration of human health vis a vis sugar.
Will obesity start culling the very numbers of the human population?
The driving of our gas guzzlers may in the end be our absolute end.

Solitary Confinement opus 648

California prisoners protested to eliminate solitary confinement.
This, for a human, is the worst punishment of all.
As in a family where purposeful isolation is employed,
The punishment results in anger and rebellion.
Humans should not be ignored nor isolated.
It results in nothing good.
Try to compromise, understand, and talk things out.
So many family rifts would be lessened to nothing.
An international example is the Palestinians 
Being robbed of their lands and originally isolated in prison camps--
Now, isolated in an open air prison with limited rights,
Along with warring persecution, all in the name of religious history.
Equal treatment would have lessened the problem to nothing.

Deportation opus 649

If only the politicians long ago had together worked out a legal system
To allow 'foreign' workers to apply annually
For a work permit which could have led to citizenship.
None of this deportation problem would have ever occurred.
The hatred we see now would have melted
Into a reality where people would have been working side by side
With no illegality nor heartbreak of severed families.

I am heart broken.

A Possible Fate opus 650

S***, I M** N** B* A*** T* S**** A* I A***** H*** B*****...
Is this the fate of our future?
Remember the bravery of our forefathers and mothers.
I wish, still, to live in the land of the Free.
May 17 September 2025 not be a date in infamy!

I rest my case. Frank.

A Ten Minute 'Peek' at a Kabuki Theatre Evolved into Three Hours! opus 651

About 1977, I was travelling home from Sweden,
Heading east from Europe towards California.
One of my 13 stops was in Japan, specifically Kyoto.
Wandering the streets, I came across a Kabuki Theatre.
I went in, found a seat in the back, on an aisle,
And settled in for whatever was to come.
A short performance commenced for about 10 minutes,
When suddenly, mainly--'foreign-looking' tourists
Got up and left (a tour).
I was not at all ready to leave and remained seated.
Then the real show began with all its dramatics!
As I sat, enthralled, a Japanese person came to me,
And handed, in English, a synopsis of each proceeding play.
How thoughtful and helpful in understanding
This wonderful type of theatre.
I remained for three hours, leaving with the locals,
Who had with them, by-the-way,
Bag lunches to enjoy during the performance.
I was so completely glad that I remained
Able to enjoy myself with those locals!
The art of Kabuki remains with me until today.

Like-mindedness or Absent-mindedness? opus 652

Days later I was shopping for food and mainly for a gallon of milk. Jon had shown me four graphs comparing milk with several other 'milks' (almond, oat, etc.). One graph showed the excessive use of fresh water needed to produce a gallon of milk. The second graph demonstrated milk's production requiring excessive land surface. The third graphed the great excess of CO2 and methane produced (from the cows!). The last showed the excess eutrophication or runoff of Ag bodily waste (N being one).

All these facts made me deeply ponder just what I was doing, consuming milk. At any rate, I saw at the store half gallons of Oat Milk, so I grabbed two of them. As I remembered, I then pulled out a gallon of my regular milk purchase. Returning home, I unloaded my purchases, carrying them into the house. I suddenly realized I had not brought the milk into the fridge. I checked and double checked, but could not find the milk! Had I left it at the checkout or in the cart? Being empirical, I perused the grocery receipt-- No milk had been purchased. My absentmindedness might possibly have actually been overwhelmed By Jon's influence, and had hypnotized me with an obedient like-mindedness! At any rate,this week's imbibitions will be mostly oat milk!

CLT--Cross Laminated Timber May Rejuvenate Use of Wood opus 653

In this new age of climate change--or crisis,
Wooden houses would seem to be the last choice for construction.
However, there is a new method of using wood,
Which has superior fire performance, is lightweight, and very strong.
Incidentally, its superiority is also demonstrated with
Acoustic, seismic, and thermal performances.
Because it can be prefabricated to precise dimensions,
It is fast and easy to install, with almost no onsite waste.
With its design, flexibility, and low environmental impact,
CLT is becoming an advantageous alternative
To the usual materials such as concrete or steel,
Particularly in commercial and multifamily construction.
Panels are first formed with bonded multilayers
Of kiln-dried boards stacked in alternating directions.
The panels are pressed into solid, straight rectangles,
Consisting of an odd number of layers (3 to 7)
And are prefinished before shipping.
This preliminary work even includes window and door openings!
With everything cut to size, the finished panels
Are incredibly stiff, strong, and stable,
Being able to handle load transfer on all sides.
Lower grade wood (appearance) and recycled wood
Can now be freely utilized.
With careful harvesting, languishing timber industries
Might now be stimulated to go back into production.
Our climate crisis is stimulating thought in new directions!

A Cancer Progress Report opus 654

I do not talk a lot about my leukemia and skin cancers.
They have dominated my efforts to prolong my life,
But there is so much in my life on which to concentrate,
I guess I just wanted to communicate on the worldly wonders of life
Which surround us each and every day.
By continuing to study on every one of those days,
I have learned and shared the history of the Neanderthal,
Delved into the fascinating science of meteorites,
Tektites, and many impactiles.
One of the latter types is the beautiful Libyan Desert Glass.
By writing my 'Poems and Thoughts' about my life history
And my present reactions to world events and politics,
The writing has kept my mind very active,
And later, will be a gift to my family to read after I am physically gone.
I still run my 37 acre farm, both mentally
And (with help) to some extent, physically.
My conservation work in California as well as in Wyoming
Has allowed me to help the planet in a small way,
But also to be able to continue to reach out to fellow people.
All these activities have kept my mind active and young!
I am 84 and am ready to pass into the next stage of life.
I am unafraid for myself, but am concerned how the world will be managed.

'My' Has Evolved to 'I's'! opus 655

Listening to the news this morning,
I heard a story about a dog film actor.
The owner/trainer was describing his story,
Explaining that, "Lassie was my wife's and I's dog."
As in biology, where some mutations are truly extreme,
This linguistic 'mutation' is amazing and one for the books!
The question, as with all mutations, is will it survive and perpetuate?

Why do Female Mammals Live Longer than Males? opus 656

It is well known that women usually live longer than men.
But more than that, female mammals in general also do so.
The answer lies in deeply rooted evolutionary history.
Research has revealed that in mammals, 72% of females
Live on average 13% longer that males,
While studies on birds show the opposite;
That 68% of male birds outlive females by about 5 %.
Mammalian males are the heterogametic sex,
Having an X and Y chromosome,
While females have two X chromosomes,
Making females more protected from lethal mutations
And thus a survival advantage.
In birds the female is the heterogametic sex
And thus the male lives longer.
However, there are exceptions such as with birds of prey.
Females are larger and longer-lived than males,
Rendering chromosomes as only one factor.
Following from the facts above, polygamous,
Competing male mammals generally die earlier as well.
Monogamous male birds with lower competitive pressure
Often live longer.
Parental care by female mammals, raising young, tend to live longer.
Long-lived species such as primates see the female living longer.
These are adaptive for survival of those species.
Should male humans start thinking about marrying older women?
This would even out the widows who sit alone--unless they wish to!

Dancing Days opus 657

The three-four of Strauss came into my ear.
Thoughts suddenly reverted back to my dancing days.
As a child I had formal dance lessons--
Fox Trott, Waltz, Fourstep, Cha Cha.
High School and College and early later life days
Spawned a formal/freeform; a rather dynamic style.
With a good partner, that great style allowed movement,
Which mesmerized many watchers and couples--
Most would simply stop to watch!

White-crowneds Juxtaposed with the Great Horneds opus 658

October. The crying wheeze of the White-crowned Sparrow. 
They have returned from their East-West migration,
To delightfully and voraciously 'gourmand' from my hanging feeders:
The feeders of which have been basically vacant all summer,
Except for a family of House Finches weaning their young to seed,
Now that they are strong from their entomophagous first diet.
Soon will be November, accompanied with the short days of winter,
Bringing in a new sound of the courting Great Horned Owl pair.
They have sheltered in our huge non-native Eucalypts for decades,
And the regular call and response of the pair are heard throughout the night;
One series of hoots is lower than the higher alternating responder.
The female owl, as with all raptors, manifests a larger body than her male.
For a time, I mistakenly assumed she had the lower vocalization,
But with research, I found the opposite to be true.
How wonderful a concert--White-crowns all day and gentle hoots during the night.
These are sounds, having entertained ancient Natives, centuries before.
Yes, the same sounds we enjoy today, if we care to stop and listen.
Well, those 'same calls', given that, as with all language evolution,
We today might be hearing just a slight , indiscernible shift of a note or two!

{Deicated to Melissa, Her Uncle, and Her CHildhood with the White-crowned Sparrows.}

An Unexpected Attack opus 659

July. My grandson, Rowan (5 now), visited me on my farm for another adventure.
We were feeding the calf and the emu when suddenly,
Rowan discovered scattered, strikingly-colored black and white varied feathers.
He began collecting them as any 'nature-child' would do:
Many from the body, several from the tail, and one partial right wing,
Maintaining the first eleven primary flight feathers.
These were all the remains from a preyed-upon Redshouldered Hawk.
What on earth had attacked and killed such a top-of-the-chain raptor?
Rowan and I discussed together as a five-year-old and a grandfather might do.
We slowly agreed that the only possibility was another resident raptor--
Which could be only the summer-roosting Great Horned Owl !
What a perplexing possible event, leaving us both astonished--
Nature around us often comes up with the unexpected.

Relationships opus 660

Hello G,

I have thought about your text.
I am not totally sure about your pondering,
Concerning your inability to respond (to me).
But so, you understand that you might have no concern with me--
On my part I do attempt to keep a 'silent' relationship alive,
By occasionally sending a 'hello' or 'I am still here'.
You should know I lost one wife in a terrible car accident in Africa
And a second from an agonizing cancer death.
In such cases, one always wonders
Whether or not one could have done more or said more.
I guess in my situation now, I just feel I must be sure,
That if separation of some sort occurs, at least the 'other' knows
I was not trying to kill a relationship through silence,
And that I was reaching out, caring for that relationship.
You see, I must psychologically still be assuring myself,
That I could have done or said more.
Thanks, Frank.

(G responded with a compassionate, understanding
explanation, concerning her position and situation.)

Railroads in My Life opus 661

My father (Frank) was a railroad brat.
His father (Albert) was a B and O conductor on the trains (the one in charge),
And he often pulled up his son into the caboose,
As they slowed for a crossing in Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania.
As a child, I lived with American Flyer model trains.
The Boston and Maine railroad with steamers passed my house daily.
While passing through the city of Newton, Massachusetts,
I don't ever remember a whistle blown.
However, at my grandparents' farm it was so different.
The New York Central crossed the farm a few miles to the west.
Each night as I lay in bed, the longing whistle would sound from the distance.
I loved that sound and longed for its repetition.
There were many other influences over my lifetime.
As a child, another thought, concerning my grandfather,
When the old railroader took us to the now demolished roundhouse,
Climbing into the cab of one of the huge Malleys
And watching the turntable redirecting one of these huge work horses.
The last truly dynamic instance of whistles was in New Mexico.
I was in plateau land near Mountainair
And far below the astoundingly long trains,
Would blow long, haunting calls across the valley.
This has all changed now, as I live far from a railroad.
Nonetheless, the incredible mournful whistle-calls are entrenched deeply in my mind.

The Lugging of Coal Clinkers opus 662

I just heard that the world-wide use of renewable energy
Has outstripped by more than half the use of coal.
Coal is a dirty, polluting substance which releases masses of CO2.
The mining of coal also causes Black Lung in the human workers.
Ironically and thoughtlessly, the 'regime' wants the use of coal to increase,
But has cruelly cut all research funds towards this terrible disease.

This announcement has brought forth from my childhood memories,
Our urban household use of coal to winter-warm our New England home.
The delivered coal order (by the ton) was poured down a hatch into a huge bin.
Later, the coal was carried in buckets to the basement furnace,
The shovelled black diamonds were cast through a fire-roaring door;
Just how much each time I used to throw in, I do not remember.
I always remember the iron-clunk sound as I closed the iron door.
But that was not all, in order to stay warm.
As days passed, the furnace had to be periodically cleaned!
Burnt coal leaves a so-called 'clinker' waste. (Possibly a New England term.)
We had huge tongs, used to remove these clinkers to a metal barrel.
These clinker-barrels had to be dragged up, out of the basement
And dragged down the driveway to the curb collection site.
A lot of work all winter, just to keep warm.
Contrast that to today, where an urban home just clicks a switch.
Presently living in the country, our counterpart to my childhood travails,
Is wood burning with all its analogous chores.
Now, no more wood burning, yielding to my solar-produced electricity.
We have come a long way.

A Virtual Farm opus 663

After I got my feet on the ground with my small 37 acre farm,
I decided to do some community service work.
Between Fairfield and Sacramento,
There were about 20 convalescent homes for elders.
For each visit, I would pack several animals and some intriguing objects--
The list included chickens, a lamb, a kitten, a tortoise, a rabbit plus others.
The 'objects' included ostrich and emu eggshells, a small bundle of oats
And a skin pouch from Africa, in which a Bushman or San carried an eggshell canteen--
In other words, an ostrich eggshell used to stash water,
Left for the return trip out of the Kalahari central area.

Well, following one such session, I received a phone call.
The woman speaker said she was the daughter of one of the participants.
The daughter said she had received a call from her mother,
Who said she had just visited a real farm!
The daughter asked me whether or not I had led an actual farm tour.
She said her mother was adamant such a visit had actually occurred.
I had to tell her the truth that her mother had never left her wheelchair,
And we were continually present at the convalescent home.
She laughed and said she had thought so,
But her mother was so absolute that her visit had been real.
(After presenting my African pouch with the ostrich eggshell,
One woman stopped me and asked, "Are you a caveman?")

A Rusophycus opus 664

As I now age, I find I need to rest occasionally.
A baby also needs rest, and the elderly follow the same pattern.
My interest in Trilobites was at first
Limited to a collection of various Trilobite specimens.
One day I discovered a resting place or burrow (Rusophycus) fossil.
Its form is a rounded, elongated fossil mound.
The specimens available are relatively scarce, but now that I am aware,
I come across a number of these wonderful specimens online.
Of course, as said, I now need rest, just as much as the Trilobite!
Trilobites rested, but also would settle down into the mud to hide from predators,
Such as the voracious Eurypterids or 'sea scorpions'.

('Rusophycus is the resting/ feeding activity trace of the once present animal,
recording the outline of the trace maker, in this case the Trilobite.
On occasions the Cruziana will also be present; this is the trace or track,
made when the organism moved to, or from, that spot.')

Final Statement Made on Wyoming Deed Restrictions opus 665

'And in conclusion, it is with great joy and expectation That Family Welborn and Family Maurer (Grantors) Pass on this worthy Wyoming conservation project To accomplish its conclusion with the best of effort and ability, Incorporating honorable Human Trust.'

(This concludes a 20 year effort to further conservation-open space.)

A Sad Gerrymandering Flood opus 666

I was born in the state, Massachusetts,
Where the ignobile activity, Gerrymandering,
Was created to gain political power.
I am not at all proud of this anti democratic project.
We see now that states which have formerly striven
For fair and balanced internal political power,
Are now seduced to Gerrymander in order to tip national power,
Thus losing the aforementioned balance within each state.
This now opens a rush towards unfair, unbalanced, 'undemocracy'
In a once-society working towards representation for each and all.

An Irony of War opus 667

Israel bombed Gaza to beyond recognition.
It then bargained towards peace that all hostages, dead or alive,
Must be immediately returned to finalize the agreement.
Now there is a delay to return bodies because
Many of those bodies are buried under bombed debris.
This delay is causing Israel in anger to slow movement of food aid into Gaza.
How ironic that Israel's very bombing is why the bodies' returns are delayed.
Is it just that Israel delays food aid to Gaza,
Actually resulting from their own former actions?

Wisdom Out of Africa opus 668

'Out of hatred for the cockroach,
The ants voted for the insecticide--
They all died, including the housefly
That didn't vote!' (African Proverb)

Today, we might say--
To throw the baby
Out with the bathwater.

Quiet Counter Revolution opus 669

The evening is quiet; wishing for a call.
Left several voicemails for a few--
That they might call to break my solitude.
Chores are done--all is still.
Suddenly a ring--it is Richard, my webmaster.
Another Trump AI concoction has come out.
"I need another poem for this idiocy he has concocted."
We chat and plan and it breaks the evening monotony.
Who knows how I may 'poemize' his madness?
Those of us who know better,
Are dismayed at what we have all come to!
Will our democracy survive this usurpation?
These are truly dark times for our Republic.
We are pressed to understand 
What might be the possibilities.

Why a Pet Rock? Have a Trilobite! opus 670

Rocks are very old and, as a pet, are easily cared for.
Unless one is knowledgeable in geology,
A rock, considering it sternly, is just a rock.
Of course one usually adds, at least, wiggly eyes.
Now consider a Trilobite as a pet.
They are very old, maintaining a rock-like morphology,
Which is what this transformed body of a Trilobite is--a fossil.
They were once alive--no pretending there.
Trilobites existed so long--270 million years,
That they morphed into 25,000 species during their time span!
Thus, there are a myriad of shapes and sizes to choose from.
But most of all they had real eyes--prominently placed.
No need for anything fake or wiggly here.
(Of course, there were a few species which were totally blind!) 
And finally, gazing upon its beautifully formed body,
One has to be continually stunned and humbled,
Realizing how very long they thrived on our planet,
Comparing our perhaps 200,000 years to their nearly 300 million, 
Especially considering all the planetary monkeying we are doing.
They disappeared, to no fault of their own,
As a result of the great cooling of their ocean habitat.
What a truly significant pet--there should be one in every home!

The Monarch opus 671

There has never been a monarch who ruled with manure--
Not verbally nor physically. Until now.
This one has learned to fly a jet,
Which jettisones liquid faeces upon his people--
Not knowing whether or not one of his cabinet is in the crowd!
Or perhaps a 'supporter' or two?
Disgust now reigns in his kingdom.

Does a Building Height Depict Who We Are? opus 672

When high buildings were first able to be,
The church steeple was the most blatantly high.
Then powerful families erected the tallest towers,
Manifesting their political power over the masses;
Followed by our modern times,
When corporations competed for height and capitalistic ego.
I, as a Humanist, am not advocating a return to the past,
But perhaps we all should take a pause
To contemplate where we are and from whence we have come.
Perhaps we need more of a sensible balance
In our pursuit for the meaning towards our honest existence.

David Attenborough opus 673

The middle of the night, as I age, becomes more familiar.
I fell asleep, then woke at 2 AM to a PBS Nature program.
It featured the long life and career of David Attenborough.
He began as a child, collecting English fossils in his neighborhood.
Then with the usual and finally, successful career attempts, got onto TV.
He created, in his own style, several notable nature series.
After 'translating' the many lives of frogs and birds,
He wished to explain the very early living life of the planet.
What would he choose, but that from his childhood--fossils.
From my own present passion with fossil Trilobites,
What did he explain, but his similar passion for Trilobites!
I was very familiar with David, but this brought me ever closer to him.
Our lives were parallel in many ways as we grew,
He being more world renowned, and I, in a smaller, but similar sphere.
Our worldly passions and concerns were parallel,
But through circumstance and drive, some of us reach wider horizons.
Both are vital, the smaller sphere augmented and supported by the greater.   
Truth and awareness are vocalized and needed by wide and local voices.
One should not boast if large, nor be discouraged if small.
All voices of encouragement are severely needed--especially now.

Leland and Esther. (Wedding 2003) opus 674

Leland Glenna was a wonderful member on my Quail Ridge land trust board.
He was a Sociologist and Researcher at UC Davis along with Esther, a postdoctoral.
They were to be married in May 2003.
There was a Lutheran ceremony, followed by a reception at the Wilson Clarksburg Winery.
The venue at the Winery, near the Sacramento River,
Was modified somewhat by a statement I had made to Leland.
The reception was to be completely outdoors on a Sacramento spring afternoon.

Talking with Leland 22 years later, he declared I had 'saved the day!'
Oh?, forgetting what I had actually done.
Being a farmer, I knew the vagaries of a California Spring day,
And had warned him that in May, it could very well still rain.
"Be careful and have a backup in case of rain!"
The day finally came and, indeed, there was a light (morning) rain during that day.
Leland and Esther had listened to the old farmer/biologist and had an indoor reception..
The moral is, always ask a local peasant about weather,
When planning an outdoor event, involving many guests!

Pigeons. Also Called Rock Doves (Pigeons) or Feral Pigeons opus 675

I introduced racing pigeons to my little educational farm (1980's),
So I could demonstrate their remarkable homing abilities.
Andrew D. Blechman has written a book called 'Pigeons',
With a subtitle:  'The Fascinating Saga of the World's
Most Revered and Reviled Bird.'
The common pigeon is an Old World (Europe, Asia, N.Africa) species of bird.
It was introduced to the New World by European settlers 
In the 16th and 17th centuries.
Being called a Rock Dove defined its original roosting and nesting habitat as cliffs.
The great buildings of Europe and later the Americas,
Were the coveted new nesting places of this species, commensal with humans.
They were associated with humans for perhaps 10,000 years, 
And selectively bred from 4500 BC..
Rock Doves have four main plumage types: natural, checkered, dark, or brown.
They were trained and utilized by the ancient world for communication,
And especially for vital messaging between warring parties.
They were used by Hannibal.s military; by Ghengis Khan in his vast empire;
The Egyptian pharaohs announced the Nile's annual flooding;
The Persians used them to maintain control over their great empire;
And, of course, they were vital during both WWI and WWII.
Pigeon racing has been practiced since the 19th century in Belgium.
Of course, as with most creatures domesticated by humans,
They were selected for large, edible carcasses (the King Pigeons). 
The King originated in the US, during the 1890's, crossing four older varieties:
The Duchess for grace, the Homer for alertness, the Maltese for style (and compactness),
And the Runt for body and size.

This is a creature which has shared life with humans, 'almost forever',
And as a result, has been genetically altered for many human-determined tasks,
Including the 'task' of eliciting just plain pleasure from its commensal partner.
Also, don't forget the publication in 1859 and Darwin's use of pigeon breeding,
To demonstrate, abstracted from human animal breeding systems,
The selective breeding system in Nature which 'created' the various species.

Relationships 12 October 2025. 1150 Hours opus 676

Dear Marye,

Your email this evening flooded my screen,
As if dark cave waters flowed out into liberating sunlight!
How nice to hear from you and your wise, aging thoughts.
I do thank you for your compliment.
I am truly humbled.
I can no longer walk much distance, so the farm is my realm.
I have detailed pictures in my head about Quail Ridge,
And the Nevada lands, which I will pass on to my boys,
And New Mexico Conservancy (Deer Canyon) which is passed on to a new family,
And the Pennsylvania 10 acres, owned by my great,great uncle now passed on to another family,
And the two great 3000 acre ranches in Wyoming,
Which will be passed on as conservation areas for ranching and wildlife.
I do drive a plug-in hybrid and shop and go to doctors appointments.
I always have in my pocket a meteorite or Libyan Desert Glass or a Neanderthal tool to show them.
My writing--Poetry or whatever it is--takes hours in the day.
I have met a programmer who is as hungry to program as I am to write.
He is organizing my writing which may manifest into several books!
As far as the young lady you are putting forth--
Check to see where she is coming from
And I would be delighted to at least start with phone calls.
As you know, I love talking with my fellow humans.
Please be in touch with another flood of words.
I would love to talk any time you desire and have waited for such.

Yours, Frank.

Relationships 27 October 2025. 1716 Hours opus 677

From my perspective, you are the most interesting person I have ever met. I had admired you from the first moment I met you, oh so many years ago.

I have found that I'm just not able to communicate to many of my former friends. Life has changed and most of us have either died or moved on. I am working on being healthy, walking for about 1/2 hour + every day, in addition to working 2 hour every day for my daughter. Following politics is exhausting, mostly because there is nothing any of us can do....Except vote, and support those people who most match our values.

For you, Frank, get yourself out the door and into that magnificent piece of nature you own. Communicate with the bats and bees. Are you a bee-keeper? That is not strenuous, but takes training and commitment. I suspect you've done it in the past, but not sure.

I just purchased Michael McFaul's (another Scot) latest book "Autocrats and Democrats." Just started it, but he's so interesting, being a former Ambassador to Russia. But now he has become quite the expert on Ukraine.

Tis' the end of the summer wine in Iowa. We've had reasonably good weather the past few weeks, but it's all coming to an end. Not sure when the snow will fly, but fly it will, and we'll be frozen out here for 5 more months (although one years, maybe 2010 or 2011 we hardly had any winter at all, and very nice weather, all winter long. I'm ready for another such winter. Most of them are brutal, but then you remember them.

I live 10 minutes from the Amana Colonies (where I ran a Bed and Breakfast "The Prairie Rose" for 10 years). It's such a quaint, humble village, but I still like to go there to get in a constitutional. I can walk all over town and feel safe, and occasionally run into someone I used to know.

Do you drive? I have a Scottish/German/Irish friend in Sacramento, Sharon Young. She was in the Callie Club, but she doesn't drive, and is starting to have serious health issues, mostly falling. She has travelled around the world, studied German for years, and I believe has a degree in Art. I can't get out there much anymore, but I'm wondering if you would like to visit her. She is about your age, and is very interesting. She lives alone, 3 blocks from the Capitol. If this is something you might be interested in, let me know and I'll arrange a meeting.

Anyway, I hope you continue writing. You have so much to offer the world.

Slante, Marye

The Numbers in My Childhood opus 678

My home phone number was DEcatur 2-0466. I used this phone many times, especially during my teenage years, Calling friends, my love Seta, classmates and church appointments.

My family's main car was a Ford station wagon, license plate 43541, Massachusetts. I learned to drive in that car and took my driver's test among six foot high piles of snow! I passed. My first date with Seta was at her home. I drove my double bass over to Watertown, And had a 'romantic' evening playing a Bach flute concerto.

H2289 was licensed to a little yellow Nash Metropolitan Which my father drove and surprised us one evening. He needed a second car for his work at Arthur D. Little in Cambridge, Where he created and invented product models for businesses of all kinds. Father rejoiced when there were no more elongated bolt holes--US license plates were finally uniform!

My street number was 301 Lake Avenue, between Walnut Street and somewhere far north. It was named for Crystal Lake which was a few blocks north of our house. I fished there; I learned to swim there and we were banned from swimming as polio reared its head. (My mother, Elizabeth, had a deformed foot from childhood polio.)

My address always had Massachusetts,? 61,? We always argued where the comma should go. That was the small beginning of the North American zip code! We had 72 storm windows and screens we had to change every season. Long extension ladders were needed for the three stories of our old house. I was told this house was originally built by the Mafia.

There were six rooms on the first floor--

A dining room with carved wooden dragons at the upper corner of each door frame. My mother, tending the fireplace there, rose quickly and as was said, 'cracked her skull'. We lived with that reminder during all of our childhood.

There was the living room where my parents entertained And where we had the other fireplace and stood the Christmas tree by the bay windows. When the presents were distributed, I always hid one to have an 'extra' at the end!

Across the hall there was the music room with the record player and the upright piano. We had groups come and we played with combinations of instruments. My father even played his fiddle occasionally, and, of course, my mother played the piano-- Even in the evening to put us all asleep.

There was a small bathroom, a laundry room, and a pantry. These all joined the main kitchen where we read comics on Sunday, Cooked, and measured and quibbled over the size of pie pieces. (There's a photo!) There was a back stairway leading from near the kitchen area to the small hallway on the second floor. My father closed it off and stored food cans and liquor! I found this and snitched some, now and then!

Dad also put in a 'side door' to the driveway, where I would meet Frank the Milkman, so named.

Back at the main hall, there was a stairway with, I believe, 16 stairs to the second floor. The kneul post at the base of the railing was large and magnificent. (But at the finish of sliding down the railing, one had to always watch out for that large post.)

At the top of the stairs, which turned twice to the left, was another hall reaching our parents' bedroom, My sister Susan's room, and the 'boy's room', ('Chip' and John) looking over the flat roof, towards the street. Three rooms in all plus a bathroom, where Dad would tell stories, while sitting on the John! A fourth by the bathroom was Dad's office and study, where we often grouped to view collections of old Pennsylvania glass fragments,coins, and his anatomy books.

Going back to the top of the stairs was a door leading to the third floor. That was my realm. A small room to the left, where the old upright phonograph stood, which we cranked and played, A huge unfinished attic to the right, and my room straight ahead, past the skylight. My room had a linoleum 'rug' with the US map, a bed, my rolltop desk, bookcases, and a big closet. The window faced out to the street, and near which we had a rope tied to the radiator, In case there was ever an unfortunate fire which did occur many decades later And which I saw on a second visit, probably because the then inhabitants Had a large radio system, and just plain overloaded the whole system. Because of my mother's fear of snakes, I hid one in the bookcase. I also had a bullfrog which roamed the room, hopping occasionally into a pan central on the floor. This is where I listened to Public Radio, announcing the frightening sounds of the Korean War. That room was where Seta visited and we gently snuggled (only!) on my bed.

The skylight I mentioned was a straight-up wooden shaft. I figured out how to ascend it, Open it, and have a view of the whole neighborhood!

The basement stairs started at the kitchen and down 12 stairs. This is where the coalbin was, the furnace room, with the huge heating device, And a hallway where my father butchered rabbits (mine!) and an occasional squirrel. To the right of the stairway was my little work bench for carpentry. Further over was my father's work place with layths benches, drill presses, etc. He worked several years 'laything' 'cutters' to punch out gaskets for Armstrong Cork Company. Under one of the benches were six model heads designed by my Dad, which were used during WWII To model face shapes for pilot goggles and masks which he created. I always remember those white plaster faces staring out at me. His non-freeze goggles and breathing equipment helped win the war.

Our house and large garage were situated on 1/2 acre of a rectangular lot. We had at least two very large White Oak trees (Quercus alba), One of which I used to construct a 30 foot high tree house. There were also two moderately large Shagbark Hickory nut trees, Under which we collected and cracked open hundreds of little munchy morsels. I always liked looking at the trees' uneven 'shagbark' epidermis. High up on the bank above the driveway, stood a small Mountain Ash (A Hackensack'?, no that was the Larch nearby), Also called a Rowan, growing cosmopolitanly in the global north.) I was not aware at that time, I would later meet the Scottish Rowan (pronounced Rauwan) And my grandson, Rowan. During the summer, I was always fascinated with their small, lovely red berries. That so-called 'bank' was where I photographed my first bird picture (a Northern Flicker-- Then classified the Yellow Shafted Flicker) at eight-years-old. We had no Sugar Maple on the property, but there was a grove to the south In a neighbor's yard, where we also played. My father juxtaposed these native old-time residents, With hemlock, a small front yard boundary fir hedge, a large sprawling Forsythia, And masses of Rhododendrons with their magnificent blossoms, Interspersed with a population of Mountain Laurel.

I lived 1/2 mile south of Crystal Lake, where I swam, ice-sailed, skated, and fished. In high school, I wrote a paper on how the Lake's water was plped miles north, To Bigalow Lake to increase the water volume in order to service a mill there.

These were what surrounded near me as a child. I remember it as if it were yesterday and as I have done so all my life, To take in every detail of my surroundings. It is just the way I am.

To a Mentor opus 679

Benjamin Franklin died at 84.
I have now reached that same number.
I still have so much to accomplish
To even half equal what that master diplomat
Gave to the world and his fellow persons.
May I be spared for a while.

Natalie Corona, Died While on Duty. 1996-2019 opus 680

What a shocking, needless death which struck us all.
While on a routine call for a car collision in Davis, California,
She was suddenly shot multiple times by an intruding murderer.
This terrible, tortured man then committed suicide.
Natalie was following in her Sheriff-father's footsteps,
To maintain peace and order wherever she would be.
She was only 22 years old: A playful, fun-loving young woman.
She had been patrolling solo for only two brief weeks.
She had become what she had always wanted.
At her graduation and swearing in ceremony
From the Sacramento Police Academy,
Her Sheriff-father had pinned the badge on his daughter, Natalie.
There were many at her memorial candlelight vigil--
It was said, "She was the best of us."
A 'Blue Lives Matter' flag was placed where she had fallen.
Such an absolutely needless death of an aspiring young person,
Being endowed with incredible foresight.
She leaves her parents and three younger sisters behind,
As well as the rest of us who continually ask, "Why?"

For History's Sake opus 681

For history's sake, I am recording this to demonstrate my constant efforts
To help our planet. You need do nothing or take me up on it!

Dear Reader,
All the Poems and Thoughts are written by an 84-year-old poet/biologist,
Frank Maurer, always concerned about where we are headed,
Pricking society to simply conduct some clear thinking.

My Maurer/Timm Quail Ridge, UCD Student Endowment
(started a few years ago, along with the 36-year-old Conservancy)
Is up to $200,000 now and growing.

If you wish to donate (for in perpetuity) with even a single donation,
Which will be matched, as long as funds are available,
(and are tax deductible through the University of California, Davis),
Email me for any information and/or instructions,
And if you need to confirm my legitimacy.

frankmaurer41@gmail.com

Just state your questions, including for donation instructions,
And I shall respond.
Devotedly Yours, 
Frank Maurer.

To Julia opus 682

You joined my family six years ago,
Pledging enigmatically that you wished only very limited interaction.
Now these years later, I basically do not know who you are--
Your desires, your goals, your concerns, even your philosophy of child rearing!
It has pained me greatly to be so involuntarily distant from you,
Even after many years of gently and, admittedly, not so gently
Ways of breaking through your enigmatic facade,
I remain a stranger to you in my own family.
I fear this will never end, after much trial,
And you and I shall eventually pass on to the next phase of life,
Never having mingled our thoughts in what might have been
Mutual augmentation of our potential joyous selves.

History Reveals Itself! opus 683

Nice talking with you after the ProBus meeting. After speaking with Richard, I now know I have an historical connection with you!

On my nascent attempts to start Quail Ridge Wilderness Conservancy many years ago, I spoke with your mother, who was a firm supporter of my efforts, which have now flourished with success. This is a greater reason that we might work together to name our Field Station after your parents!

Please contact me and let us have a meeting together. Your mother was so wonderful with me, giving me the courage to face the original daunting challenge I faced.

Many thanks. Please email me or just plain call me!

Frank Maurer. 530-219-4477.

Thirty-five opus 684

Today, a record has been reached--Thirty-five days.
A second record by one president
To preside over the two longest government shutdowns in US history.
It is, yet sure, that the second one will continue even longer.
Leadership has done nothing to reach a breakthrough
And has even been out of Washington and the country much of that time.
When will our leadership focus less on new ballrooms and gold faucets,
And labor diligently to end this catastrophe,
Affecting all citizens, including our own government workers?
Please, may wisdom and judgement
Start to reign for the future of this great country!

The Revolutionary of the Pen opus 685

No guns for me to convince others--
I simply have my pen,
Always tucked within my shirt collar;
It remains there, ready, day and night.

The Visionary opus 686

The visionary is so far ahead,
That he or she is always behind.

Bellwether opus 687

Managing a small farm, sometimes with sheep,
I have always been amused by the term 'bellwether'. 
I know one would initially think
Of a bell ringing to warn of the weather.
Today, we use it for someone or something
That leads the way or points out a trend.
Historically, though, the usage first appeared in English
In the 15th century, remaining to this day.
In Middle English, 'Belle' meant a ringing bell
And 'wether' was originally a male sheep,
Later to become a castrated male sheep.
This animal was designated to be the leader of the flock.
By using a castrated individual, rather than an 'active' male
May have designated, more accurately, the flock's position.
(This is my own speculation as a farmer and biologist.)
The sound of the bell was, of course, 
To locate the flock's whereabouts. 
It is interesting how word use shifts through the ages.

Facades opus 688

We are now sadly surrounded with facades of untruth.
Even now, to the point, we must warn our children
To beware of that which appears 'to be too good to be true'.
'Don't take a ride offered by a stranger.'
'Don't be seduced by that handsome, tall, dark man.
Humans almost always seem to wish advantage
Over many of their fellows no matter who.
We are continually, however, under suspicion, in perpetuity
And the truly honest ones will never be trusted.

An Op vs a Hoop opus 689

The question of fairness comes up with trans girls playing on a girls' team.
This pertains to any sport where these 'invaders' have attempted to join in.
Size and strength seem to be the issues at hand.
Society will most likely work out these issues over time.

So now I turn to basketball, where the issue might not be gender,
But rather height.  New players are chosen more and more frequently,
For their ability, but also for their height.
I, personally, as a non-basketball fan, raise the question--
Is it fair for a team to have a seven foot-nine player (like Oliver Rioux),
When the basket hoop is a relatively mere ten feet above the floor?
How might one equate these two phenomena for fairness?
Perhaps at least for the present, there might be 
A player height regulation for the latter example,
Or there must be a rethinking concerning the height of the hoop.

Don't be Screwed! opus 690

It is just now 2 AM (0200 Hours) and my lights are still on.
I fell asleep earlier and woke to ABBA songs.
Memories jumped from my time in Sweden as a researcher,
Back to Africa teaching, and then Turkiye before that--
And my time in Turkey (now Turkiye) 
Was a juxtaposition of the great city of Istanbul,
And my travels doing field work near the rural villages.
One of the facts that hit me, while working near those villages,
Was that many still had no electricity
And solar was not yet invented for the 'commoners'.
While meeting with a rural planner,
I was introduced to the concept that when electricity did reach a village,
The birthrate of that area began to diminish.
The light in a home shifted interest in the physical
To conversing, reading, game playing and hobbies. 
The change was quite dramatic in a short period of time!
Learning this fact in Turkiye, brought me back to the TVA of the US.
The creation of the Tennessee Valley Authority
Must have created the same phenomenon.
It took a Turkish researcher to focus me in on my own country!.
So, the joke and play on words was
'Screw in a light bulb and stop all the screwing around!'

Genetic Captures opus 691

Humans have genetically 'captured' the ancient Aurochs,
Found in the ancient French and Spanish cave paintings,
To develop domestic cattle for meat and milk.
The Red Jungle Fowl (with a slight touch of the Gray Jungle Fowl)
Was a wild Southeast Asian bird, now the commercial hen.
The wild European Honey Bee, now domesticated to a tame productive insect.
Domestic swine, so important in many diets, 
Was genetically 'manipulated' from several wild boar stocks.
The magnificent Scottish Clysdale, a warhorse 'stolen' from the English Shire,
Both derived from the tiny North American-evolved horse ancestor.

So have plants coevolved through selection
To become domestic corn, tomatoes, wheat, rice, potatoes, and pot.
Even the home, internally and externally, now harbors
Domestic plant beauties once again genetically captured:
Tulips, roses, daffodils, narcissus, all producing beautiful blooms,
To trees for shade as well as bonsai for artistic wonder.
The whole human biome is completely surrounded 
With genetically altered plants and animals for human use and pleasure.
Nature has always manipulated life (natural selection),
And humans have followed suit (artificial selection).
Indeed, what a masterful teacher for humans to attempt to emulate.

The Penny is Gone opus 692

In February of 2025, the president ordered the end of minting our penny.
Now, both businesses and customers calculate,
Whether or not the 'rounding up or down' to the nearest nickel,
Give them a miniscule profit or loss.
To mint a one cent piece, costs the government 3.7 cents.
It costs 14 cents to mint each nickel--when is their doomsday?
The latter's fate to come, may be a while;
The ceasing of the minting of the US one half cent was in 1857!
It may be a while until we witness the demise of the nickel:
We humans love to hold on to our beloved coins..
I do remember holding on to my pennies, though,
To push them into their appropriate date and space
In the collectors' 'book' my father provided for me.

Two Approaches to Climate Change opus 693

Two older male friends had a minor verbal clash,
Discussing the way we each felt about the world's future.
The first travelled often, but vis a vis climate change,
He said it is too late;  there are millions of cars;
There will be ten billion humans within this century,
He will continue to travel to see friends and family
'Because one person cannot ever make a difference.'
To be noted, he has no children.
I, the second protagonist, felt very uncomfortable with this recounting.
I have solar panels, two batteries, drive limitedly, a hybrid car,
And cook with the sun, using a solar box.
Most of my driving now is limited to local shopping and appointments.
I try to consume good, healthy vegetables recycled, 
As waste, from a local store.
Also noted, I have two children and grandchildren--make any difference?
So, I guess I have resigned myself to realizing
That the two of us are just neutralizing each other's life procedures.
Even though we were each adamant, the two of us
Do not at all solve the climate future, if we even wished to.
OR, is there still a chance there are enough of us to make that difference?

One Ear and the Other opus 694

There once was a little boy in Switzerland, near Zurich.
If it had been three generations ago, that could have been me;
But it wasn't.  But it could have been.
Anyway, he was an active child,
With only one major flaw;  he didn't listen;
Didn't listen to parents, for instance,
When instructing this or that-- 
You know, the day's agenda, or duties, like 'clean up your room'.

The boy had minor ear problems;
Like too much earwax, which had little to do with not listening;
Or maybe it did.  No one really made any connection.
At any rate, the problem got acute enough
That he and his mother had an appointment with the ear doctor.
After some looking and probing,
The doctor said, "We will flush the ear for excess wax."
He gave the boy a bowl to hold under his bad ear
To catch the flushing water with the wax.
The boy began holding the bowl just under his ear.
Suddenly, without warning, he switched the bowl from one ear to the other,
As the doctor was mumbling further instructions.
The doctor asked, a little annoyed, "Why did you do that?"
The child answered, a little surprised,
"Well, you were instructing me to do things,
And mother told me to pay attention all the time."
She always says, "With you, 'Everything goes in one ear and out the other,' "
"I was trying to pay attention to you and to catch anything you might say.
I didn't want it to go in one ear and out the other--and be lost!"

(As told to me by Marianne, from Switzerland.)

True Death or Nature's 'Coverup'? opus 695

'The death of summer's life is manifested
In autumn's final magnificence.'

What I recently composed, poetically,
Sounds nice and superficially accurate,
But those trees with all their autumnal colors
Have not died--just the leaves--
The trees are resting for another season.
Perennial grasses still live beneath the soil's surface.
Although the Annuals' form which dies from crown to root--
Their broods of summer-seed offspring lie tucked in the duff,
Waiting for the catalyst of the Spring-sun's rays of warmth.  
The Conifer remains green, but with reduced life-activity,
Thus, deceptively alive, but resting, 
As its deciduous cousins openly exhibit.
So, as so explained, to the novice and uninformed,
What appears dead is just survival during an adverse time period,
As we also must rest to compose ourselves during a time of stress.

An Ambivalent Scooter Owner opus 696

My grandson, Rowan, is now an 'older' five.
He has graduated from crawling, to walking, then running,
To his present stage of discovering the wonder of wheels! 
Wheels came into his life vicariously through toy trucks and other play things.
Suddenly, one day, he was presented with a small, three-wheel scooter,
Which he mastered and controlled, especially on his way to school.
Each morning his Dad followed him on his way to the halls of education.
He loved and enjoyed his little scooter, becoming bonded.

Then, I, his grandfather, contemplated something more 'grownup'.
It would have only two wheels, an adjustable handle control and brakes!
Well, it arrived in a big box, left unopened until Rowan's arrival.
While we were munching on burritos, the box, unopened, nearby.
I was explaining a few features about his potential new scooter.
Rowan was hesitant, saying he really liked his little three-wheeler,
And did not really want this upgrade in his life.
One exception became evident when he asked if there were any LED lights.
And no, there are no such upgrades on this model.
Out of the box it came, now being assembled by his Dad.
Gleaming white, large tires, and a fancy brake system.
Rowan viewed it with a little less reluctance,
Not wishing to betray his relationship with his first love.
He stepped onto the platform, handles firmly gripped,
And off he slowly, then more rapidly glided onward,
Left foot powering the sleek vehicle down the drive.
He never looked back, (until he returned),
Beaming with a newly discovered joy.
No ambivalence now, successfully having taken that unknown step,
As we all have done, leaving that familiar past,
Gliding into an exciting new, unthought of, until discovered, new world.

The Pictish Rebel opus 697

It was 16 November (2025).
Not even 25 January,
(The traditional birthday party for Burns),
When the Ode to the Haggis is recited,
And that wondrous concoction 
Is 'captured' and consumed.

But this November day, I had a longing
And a rapacious appetite for that offal stuff;
Opening the stored can nearby,
I spooned out half, gently drowning it with Scotch,
Heated it carefully to be a bubbly warm
And imbibed it with its memorable taste,
Accompanied with sweet, but untraditional cranberry sauce.
Then, once again at dusk,
I repeated that wonderful, naughty orgy.
My Pictish carving days flowed through my mind.
Bannockburn, with the wallowing 
Mud-drenched oppressors on the bridge, 
Along with the several Burns Nights I have attended,
Celebrating that great poet and daring rebel,
Robert Burns.

From Where Does He Come--'van' or 'von'? opus 698

His name was Ludwig van Beethoven.
He was born in Bonn, Germany, 1770.
If one looks carefully at his name,
One sees 'van'.  What is all that about?
Shouldn't it be 'von'?
'Von' in German, means 'from'.
But wait, 'van' in Dutch also means 'from'.
So the question is, 'from' where came Beethoven?
Most of us have never scrutinized his name in this way--
Just lovers of the written word, I guess.
So, if one checks out his genealogy,
One discovers that Beethoven's grandfather
Came from the Netherlands;  thus the 'van',
And it stuck with him on all his manuscripts!

A Fishy Gift opus 699

Richard, my webmaster, also controls my 'Poetry and Thoughts'.
He asked me to read some of my writings
To his Business Group, meeting once a month.
The gathering occurs at LampPost Pizza to consume pizza and knowledge!
His group provides the vittles and I asked if they had anchovy toppings.
He said he didn't think so and that was the end of that.
Well, the day came, and as I walked in, 
He pushed a can of anchovies into my hand. 
(The fish were from Morocco, the origin of many of my Trilobites!)
I was so touched, he would remember such a little item.
Richard, you are so thoughtful, to remember such a small inquiry.
I now have my pisces to garnish on what I will,  
And I thank you, Richard, for your thoughtfulness.

When Do Children Play? opus 700

When I was a child, some 75 plus years ago,
We were sent out to play, with or without lunch,
And were expected to be in before dark (winter)
Or by supper time (summer).
To add to the verbal agreement, my mother rang a large ship's bell, 
To make sure we knew that the hour of return had arrived.
There was no worry nor even a thought
That we children were in any mortal danger.

Today, such unsupervised freedom would never even be contemplated.
Children are walked (driven!) to school each day and then retrieved--
I was perhaps walked to school on my first day of first grade.
With so much concern and fear by today's parents,
Why is it that the same concern does not exist
For their children, when using social media?
It is also a great 'trouble-maker' for children's well being.
Some, even going so far in a troubled way,
To take their own lives because of great distress.
Many of such young ones do not even contemplate going outside
To enjoy and be calmed by the original Nature from which we all evolved!

A Tragedy Caused by a Loose Wire opus 701

We have all received some item or another,
Transported by one of those huge container 'barges'.
They have evolved to become so very large
That the complexity of such vessels 
Results in a myriad  of elaborate wiring.

Now to 'Dolly', one of those container ships
As long as the Eiffel Tower is high.
After loading in the Baltimore harbor, it commenced
Towards the very long Francis Key Scott bridge and open sea.
The ship soon became out of control, heading towards the bridge.
It careened straight into one of its support columns,
Basically destroying the whole collapsing structure
And killing six workers repairing potholes during the night hours.

After weeks of sleuthing, a tiny error was miraculously discovered.
One wire, among thousands, was found to be loose inside a fuse box.
The reason it became disconnected was because
An identification tag, wrapped around that wire,
Had been attached too close to the control box door,
Gradually causing tension which had dislodged the wire
And thus the control mechanisms of the ship.
This is why a pilot will walk around hisser plane before takeoff,
Has confidence in the mechanics' ability to find any error,
And, in the cockpit, always going through a long and complex checklist.
We are building ever bigger-- but should there be 
A logical limit to size-producing  disasters? 
I was a pilot myself and always was aware 
Of the inspection-part of my every flight, no matter how short!

The Fallacy of Pardoning Turkeys opus 702

This is a reconstruction of a letter I wrote years ago 
To President Obama concerning the pardoning of turkeys.

Dear Sir, (or whichever president you now may be).

I am a biologist (Ph.D.) and a small farmer,
Raising many fowl for forty years.
The custom of 'pardoning the Thanksgiving turkey'
Is a terrible disservice to our farming traditions.

FIRST, the turkey has done NOTHING for which to be pardoned.
Its 'crime' was to be selectively bred to have an extra large breast, 
Rendering it defenceless to survive more than a year or two.

SECOND, google the survival of 'pardoned' turkeys 
And realize they do not live for years, 
Retired on a 'retirement farm' in luxury, but rather,
Their weight is so excessive, they eventually cannot walk
And their legs collapse under the unusual weight.
This is just a falsehood to comfort children and squeamish adults.

THIRD, for children considering this action seriously,
They do not receive necessary and accurate information,
Concerning of what food is, and the reality
Of the necessary transfer of energy of all life,
One kind or another, to maintain the earthly food chain.
Some become vegetarians to avoid the problem,
But most relish meat and do not understand what 'food' really is.
We are biologically omnivores, consuming both plants and animals.
Consider our similar molar tooth structure, compared with bears and pigs--
We clearly evolved to have a wide diet as that of the above mentioned animals. 

Please might we stop this horrible misconception,
Pardoning a selectively reconstructed creature which would have never lived,
Except for the agricultural human desire to produce a larger bird,
Much like we have 'created' cows producing abnormally large amounts of milk,
And chickens which, unnaturally, lay an egg a day,
Not the normal twelve, to create a 'family'.

Please stop this artificial misconception about our food chain,
And absolutely cease creating the illusion that humans 
Could ever have the right, pardoning innocent creatures.

Our Coevolution with the Cat opus 703

Those in the Fertile Crescent perfected agriculture--
Organizing fields with seed saved from the previous year.
Random wandering to discover those tiny seed-gems
Became obsolete as a manner of food gathering.
Success of harvesting increased to a point
Where huge numbers of grain were amassed.
Methods of storage for the pending year challenged populations-- 
Those tiny rodents soon discovered that 'grain mine',
Slowly gnawing away at the food supply of the human suppliers.
Also arriving on the scene were wild cats,
Relishing the concentrated supply of those tiny mammals.
The humans realized the value of cat-presence,
Naturally combating and aiding in the control of those little munchers.
Soon, especially in Egypt, cats rose to the level of the sacred.
They were mummified and slipped into the sarcophagi of their owners.
Now, cats roam in many places uncontrolled,
Just like Rock Doves, which switched from cliffs to tall buildings. 
These days, human activities somewhat affect 
Most all other creatures' ways of life,
Except for bacteria, and more, viruses, which still hold power over us.
We cannot yet mold them genetically into the form we wish,
Except for ever-continued research, which medically wards them off!

Seta opus 704

She returned to me after so long.
I was dreaming, but there she was in a corner of a room.
White walls;  a friend-woman standing next to her.
I softly approached and we exchanged gazes.
I gently touched her cheek with mine.
It had been so long since I had longed to see her.
I was at last fulfilled with her presence.

Then, the dream shifted; she and I were transporting pigeons,
Passing them gently into coops to live and propagate.
As soon as it came to view, the dream beautifully ended.
Her softness lingers with a fragrant mindful perfume.
I am fulfilled and might now pass on, (to meet her?), complete.

Seeking One Who Has Gone opus 705

She has been violently taken from us in her school.
So cruel, so uncaring, so unknowing whom it would affect.
Where does one go to find, even a part of her?
Where does one go to witness once again her youthful accomplishments?
Where does one go to partake and inhale her sweet scent?
Of course the room she rested in, and studied in,
And dreamed of what she might eventually become--
Her castle, her music room, her sleeping chamber.
So many youths have been taken from us all,
By mostly young males, restless, confused,
And spiteful of their lack of accomplishment and success.
Are they allowed to slip past, because of a misinterpretation
Of the Second Amendment, originally written 
To no longer be victims of a possible king?
Have we lost the intent after three centuries of ever modified interpretation
Towards the attempt to maintain freedom--whose ever that is.

My First Photo, Featuring a Flicker opus 706

I was 8 and had hung my first bird feeder,
Created from a Christmas tree stump with drilled holes,
Stuffed with a peanut butter-seed mix.
I had become very interested in our (New England) birds.
I also had a feeling I would be good at photography,
Watching my father with his old (then new) Argus camera.
Birds began feeding, especially the Flicker, 
Which greatly attracted me.
One Sunday morning while at breakfast,
As that Flicker was clinging there on the stump,
I shyly asked my father if I might borrow his camera
And somehow attempt a photo--somehow.
I had never ever snuck up on a bird with a camera.
(Remember, telephotos were rare for 'commoners' back then.)
He said yes, reviewed the operating instructions,
And off I went, out the door into the snow,
Being as 'invisible' as I was able.
I crossed the driveway and started up the side bank.
My untrained, young mind said I had gone far enough.
I raised the camera and snapped twice.
The bird miraculously remained undisturbed--
Either because of my 'great approaching skills',
Or that bird was just plain hungry!
The film was developed, and a week(!) later,
Surprised us all, delightfully, with my first bird photos--
In fact, with my first photos of any sort.
I was hooked and many more photos 
Continued on from there throughout my life.

Uncle Bill, a Young NY Farmer During WWII. opus 707

My mother and her family grew up on a farm in Watkins Glen, NY.
She had a younger sister, Georgia, and a little brother, Bill.
While I was struggling as to what to do during the Vietnam Conflict,
My mother, Elizabeth, told me a story about Bill, 
During his young years on the farm during WW II.
Because so many men were taken for the war effort,
Women took over this effort at home.
These women built weapons, took over manufacturing,
Transported planes within the US to their final domestic destinations,
And, of course, had to also manage their families and children!
In spite of the fact that many women took over the farming,
Many male farmers were required to remain on their farms
And also continue farming, along with their women counterparts.
My mother related to me how humiliating this was for Bill,
Who was one of those farmers who had to remain at home.
Whenever he needed to go to town for supplies,
He went on his business, ashamed to be seen.
I believe he never got over this, and when he dealt with me,
During my struggles as to what to do about my stance
To not fight and declare myself  a Conscientious Objector,
He disowned me completely and would never interact.
He was my favorite uncle, and the blow came heavy.
Our relationship never recovered, and the two of us
Will pass on completely unreconciled--
One aspect of my life, from which I will never completely heal.

Being Touched by an Elephant's Trunk opus 708

As a child, I adored animals of all kinds.
I studied the behavior, flight and silhouettes of the birds around me.
I had a worm farm in a big jar,
Watching as they created ever-more tunnels next to the glass.
I observed as my rabbits mated, the buck falling over in ecstasy.
(I did not know then, that the act of mating,
Caused the spontaneous ovulation of the female.)
I saw the female pulling her breast hair to line a soft nest.
So many things for a young biologist to observe and take in.

My mother knew of my love for animals
And would take us to the Benson's Animal Farm in NH;
Of course, there were myriads of creatures for a youngster to see--
Reptiles, lions, African antelope, owls and an elephant.
One time, I approached the young tethered Asian pachyderm,
And stood in front of it--only a small chain fence separating us.
I reached out and the youngster extended its trunk.
What occurred then is now a blur in my mind.
But I felt its trunk curling around my hand--
Just the prehensile end it used to grasp food.
It pulled me gently, but firmly towards itself.
I was awakened, but not fearful.
We held that position for a few moments,
And then it let go--the soft wet end falling away.
Was this lonely elephant pulling me in,
Telling me that it desired to be free,
To tear off branches and to shower itself with dust?
I am not sure, but my young self, after that intimate moment,
Always felt an affinity for the last two of the many elephant species
Which roamed our earth in past evolutionary times 
Will these two huge pachyderm species actually survive
The ravages of the ever-expanding Homo sapiens 
Across its diminishing  homeland?

The Making of a Stone Carver opus 709

My first trip with Nora, my late wife, to Ireland and Scotland,
Unfolded some adumbrations of my past ancestry.
I had done some genealogy before the trip for Nora's paper presentation.
I knew I went back to the Picts and the first Scottish king, Kenneth MasCalpine.
By actually being in these countries, it solidified my whole ancestry.
I attended seminars on the Pict's stone carving and woad tattooing.
(Woad is a European herb related to the mustards.
Woad is also a blue dye made from its leaves.)
When I returned home, I concentrated on learning to carve stones.
I found Mr. Rukala, the mason for the Sacramento Cemetery.
I and a young friend drove across the valley from Davis to Rockland.
Rukala met us, said he had twenty minutes for the lesson,
When he immediately began demonstrating with mallet and chisel.
As he proceeded, the main point became ever-clear--
Carve 'always away from the weak point or line'.
With this principle constantly in mind, one can rarely go wrong.
He presented me with a few old, huge chisels--never used--
And invited me to grab some stones on which to practice.
Then, he departed and we were left alone!
We drove home, picked out a large sandstone piece,
Originally found at Lake Berryessa and started in.
This first and quite well done carving, if I do say so myself,
Was of the Rhynie standing stone,
Depicting the fourth century salmon and Pictish Beast.
The instructions were perfect and the carving remains in my home.
To reach out with my craft; I left examples in several craft stores.
This was not a huge success, because I could not 
Match the price of the laser-made items.
I decided to participate in a local Scottish Games festival.
People began purchasing--everything went to my QR Land Trust.
An artisan came by and said, "I have not seen you before",
And invited me to another festival farther up north.
That started things off, developing to 15 festivals, 
Which I attended each year. 
The festivals covered Nevada, California, Oregon, and Washington--
A large commitment, but all a labor of love and fun.
I was showered in fliers, newscasts, brochures, and invitations.
A slow, but incredible fulfillment of reputation and devotion.
And so it went for many years and several hundred stones!

My Timeline opus 710

A wonderful preschool life with loving, caring parents and a little brother, John, and a littler sister, Susan.

Hyde School Elementary, Newton Highlands, MA (1946-1951). (I loved school and started piano and in 6th grade, double bass.)

Weeks Jr HS, Newton Center, MA (1951-1954). (Met students from other religions and began my love of Shakespeare. Orchestra for real.).

Newton (N) HS, Newtonville, MA (1954-1958). (More and better orchestra, personal relationship with a supreme being, love, readying for college.)

Antioch College, BA, Yellow Springs, OH (1959-1964). (New subjects and thoughts, orchestra conducting, Cooperative academic jobs--whales, a museum job, teaching in Switzerland-- end of formal religion.)

Cornell University, Ph,D., Vertebrate Zoology and Ecology, Ithaca, NY (1964-1968). (Dinner with Hans Betha, inventor of the hydrogen bomb; field work on Microtus; learned to fly.)

Robert College, Istanbul,Turkiye, Prof Vertebrate Zoology (1968-1972). (Became department chair, field work in Israel and Libya, learned cello, composed music, travelled around Turkiye.)

U. of Botswana, Lesotho and Swaziland, Lesotho, Africa, Prof Vertebrate Zoology (1972-1975). (Bred Basotho Ponies, rescued a baboon, learned bee keeping with this vicious species.)

U, of Uppsala, Sweden, Researcher (1975-1977). (Did research on the gentler European Honey bee as well as animal ag food processing, learned Swedish, ice skating, drank from royal horns.)

Created the Environmental Education Farm Foundation, Davis, CA (1977-2024). (Learned farming, farmers markets, raised ground-raised turkeys, chickens, and ducks, and aquaculture.)

Created the Quail Ridge Wilderness Conservancy, (Napa, CA), Davis, CA (1989-present). (Learned about Conservation Easements, fundraising, passed the legislation for the State Grass.)

Pictish Stone Art hand carved petroglyphs (1995-present). (Learned a completely new art form. did custom orders, learned even more Scottish and world history, gave lessons, exhibits.)

Conducted several outreach voyages to Scotland, one of my natal ancestral nations, to be with the people, and carve in situ and present stone petroglyphs to Parliament and to other organizations.

'Poems and Thoughts' poetry (2020-present) (Through new writing, I reviewed my history and world thinking; became more philosophical, viewing my past life; leaving a record for my children.)

Trilobites and Sea Slugs, Equal Their Accumulation of Species Numbers opus 711

Five million years ago, Trilobites evolved onto the planet.
They endured almost 300 million years
And, given that time span, evolved into 25,000 species.
Today, we have a present group which has equaled that species number:
It is the Sea Slugs, related to our common garden 'pest'.
But far more elaborate, fending off aquatic predators from their soft body parts,
By warning with incredibly colorful hues and by ingesting poisonous plants,
Which yield them very unpalatable to the lurking predators.
Time and evolutionary success, is the formula for the huge numbers--
Each species having time to evolve into an ever-distinct niche.
Well, Homo evolved into several different specific variations,
But we, Homo sapiens, are the only remaining species of the group.
Might we extrapolate something from this outcome?
No longer do we have fellow species to challenge us in various niches.
It is clear we did not diverge enough, creating fierce competition,
(Perhaps also because of powerful brains and strong customs),
While these other two groups, Trilobites and Sea Slugs,
Diversified into contemporary life styles and niches,
But did not evolve so closely that competition increased.
We, Homo sapiens, have evolved as a singular genus and species,
But will our future be to overwhelm all other life on our Earth,
Or will our wisdom prevail, having a benevolent conservation approach
Towards our fellow interacting life-partners on this, our only planet?

Danish Postal System Gone After 400 plus Years opus 712