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Poems and Thoughts by Frank Maurer

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Behavior

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.

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.)

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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?

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.

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'.

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.

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!

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!

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!

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.

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.

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?

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.

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'?

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 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'.

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'.

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.

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!

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.}

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 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.

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.

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.

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.

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?

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.

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.

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.

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.

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?

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!

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!

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.

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.)

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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?

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.

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!

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!

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!

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.

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.

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.

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?

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!)

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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?

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.

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.

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!

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.

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.

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.

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.)

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 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.

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.'

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?

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?

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.

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.

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!

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?

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.)

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.}

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.

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).

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!

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?

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!'

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.

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.

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!

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!

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.

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!

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!

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.

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.

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!

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'.

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.

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.

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.

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!'

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.)

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.

The Mystery of Why Domestic Cats Have Vertical Pupils opus 729

Have you ever wondered why domestic cats have vertical pupils,
And in big cats like lions, tigers, jaguars, and pumas, the pupils are round?
The summary is this in the evolutionary story of various life cycles--

----Round pupils (humans, birds) give even focus across the entire
     depth of field during the day.
----Vertical pupils (cat, gecko) optimize depth perception, day and night.
----Horizontal pupils (goat, frog) optimize and give a panoramic
     field of view to detect predators.

These various pupil shapes are adaptations to their lifestyle.
Specifically, domestic cats are ambush predators 
And have a superior depth of field.
This allows them to better judge distance to their prey.
This pupil shape also helps cats to see side-to-side motions,
Making their small rodent prey easier to spot with their movements.
Unlike small domestic cats which are crepuscular actors,
Big cats which hunt diurnally and with round pupils,
Are capable of a clear focus across the entire long distance field of view.
Having vertical pupils, also gives its bearer camouflage,
As it breaks up the round shape of the eye,
And thus makes it harder for its prey to see the hidden predator.
There too, are geckos with vertical slits, having tiny round openings,
Cuttlefish with distinctive 'W'-shaped pupils,
And rays possessing crescent-shaped pupils.
Such aquatic species are benefitted by both round and horizontal pupils.
The other factors determining how an animal sees,
Are the number and distribution of rods and cones, 
Working in concert with pupil shape;
The shape of the lens is also important, for instance, 
In correcting chromatic aberration, resulting in excellent color vision.
So, wonder less about the different pupil shapes, because you now know!

Encounter With a Rattlesnake on the North Fork of the Yuba River opus 730

Being restless one California weekend,
I took the family, with the two boys, Pierre and Basil, east,
Into the Foothills of the Sierras and the North Fork of the Yuba River
To pan for gold, anticipating use of our new gold pans. 
Driving through lovely wooded roads,
We made it together to the river's edge.
Gold panning was fun and we even found
A few small nuggets amongst the deep black sand grains.
After panning for two or three adventuresome hours,
We decided to explore along the wooded shoreline.
Suddenly, I spied a large rattlesnake in the grass.
I called the others to come and check it out with me.
We slowly followed it, as it agilely glided along.
Sensing our presence, I am sure, it headed for a tree,
With an opening in between two large roots.
As the snake was half way into the hole,
I compulsively announced I was going to hold its tail !
This was all done quietly as I explained,
That I was able to do this because the snake could not turn around.
As they watched, I explained how the snake felt--
Strong body muscles, cool to the touch, and very soft skin.
Concluding this bizarre exercise, I slowly released the tail,
And the snake quickly disappeared down into its shelter.
This act was perhaps foolish, but my knowing animals
Made it very safe, and we all, in our own way, will remember
Our interaction with this dangerous, but now 'controlled' creature--
A creature of mystery and stories, giving us each a memory
To last until the end of our lives!

Finding a Loose Cow opus 738

This morning at 7, I received a text,
Reporting that a loose cow was sighted near my farm.
Jessie, my vitally important 'manager',
Arrived and called our Black Angus back through a gate.
A great relief for all of us here.
The escape place was found and repaired.
Lots of fresh grass to graze and daily supplementary grain--
So why the escape maneuver by this animal?
An Angus is a Scottish breed, perhaps 
With the Scots' desire to always be free!
From this incident, I was reminded of something from my past.
 
While in India, I followed a Mahaut 
With his working elephant for one day.
I was continually amazed that a small human
Had such complete control of a giant beast.
I relayed this to Jessie, that he was now a Mahaut of cows--
With kindness and training, relationships of all sorts
Can be formed, bringing many worlds into harmony.

The Airborne Turkeys opus 740

Wing beats, displacing the air.
My cohabiting wild turkeys
Are dispersing one by one
To their high roosting tree branches.
As they raise themselves into the air,
Powerful wing beats pull their bodies upward.
They rise over my narcissus flower beds
And, as they do so, displace air downward,
Inviting the white blossoms below
To momentarily dance in unison,
Delighting my eyes and my living core.

Will K Cars be Our New Coffins? opus 742

Having returned from Asia, Trump declared his love for the tiny, economical K car.
Prominent in Japan, would these tiny cars fit into this country's traffic?
Offsetting economics, they are small and slow;
Placed into a rushed society, having many accidents.
A huge trailer-truck attempting to slow suddenly behind a smaller, slower car,
Could most likely result in a catastrophe of a crushed car with its driver.
Our high-speed freeways might introduce a new category of death.
With such decisions, we must consider the adage of water and oil.

The Gandhi Influence on Me opus 749

On my way home to California (about 1977),
I stopped in New Delhi, India, to view Gandhi's death bed.
He was assassinated on the grounds of Birla House 
(Museum of Gandhi Smriti),
Now a national shrine for the nation.
I had already read many of Gandhi's writings.
The simple, small room where he died
Was stark for the world's loss of a true humanitarian.
I lingered there, quietly for a long period of time.
I believe that experience remained with me personally,
Goading my thoughts to act during the Civil Rights era;
As well, and more profoundly, during Vietnam,
After much agonizing, I declared myself a Pacifist.
As a child, I retreated from or even ran away from conflict,
And now, as an adult, I have always sought out negotiation.

Veronika, the Tool User opus 753

Jane Goodall, astounded the world by showing
That chimpanzees hunted termites with stick-tools.
More data among birds showed that crows and ravens were tool-users.
We must also consider the overlooked ability of rocks used by sea otters.
Incredibly, a new aspect concerning a cow has been observed!
Veronika, a 13-year-old Swiss Brown cow in Austria,
Living as a pet on a family farm, was observed
By researchers from the University of Veterinary Medicine in Vienna.
Veronika, with her tongue, picks up sticks, rakes, and deck brushes,
Manipulating these tools to scratch unreachable parts of her body.
She uses the bristled end of a deck brush for her thick-skinned back,
And switches to a smooth handle for her sensitive underbelly.
This cow does not make tools, but neither, always, does a chimp.
(There are similar undocumented accounts of goats also using sticks.)
Humans had to slowly learn technology and the use of tools;
Are the creatures around us, picking this up for their own benefit as well?
If Veronika were given a couple of 'pasture-mates',
Would she teach them how to do such manipulations?
The passing on of such behavior to others could also be really crucial.

The Human Urge to Move opus 754

Humans have always been migrants.
Review the human emigration from Africa,
Following migrations throughout the remaining world.
It appears that a portion of the human genome,
Fires the human mind to start moving and exploring.
This successful species-population-movement
Has been adaptive for exploiting new ranges,
While reducing intraspecific competition.

The world is now basically exploited, so is there evidence
That humans still have this insatiable drive?
Of course there is tourism, but what about the 'Marco Polos'?
Consider bicyclists who bike for months or years at a time,
Relying on a small, simple, self-powered (by a human) device.
The challenge is invigorating, difficult, and empowering.

Samer Abouhamed (2026) biked 46,000 miles across six continents;
Liam Gorner (2023), age 17, rode over 20,000 miles from 
Alaska to Argentina in two years;
Also Lael Wilcox holds a 2008 speed record;
And Thomas Stevens (1884), the first person
To ride a bicycle around the world,
Leaving San Francisco on a precarious 'high-wheeler'.

The challenge for new worldly territory, one way or another,
Will probably always be in the human spirit and genome!
Of course, I have said nothing concerning space travel.

New Avian Competition on My Feeder opus 756

I have inhabited my small farm in Davis, California,
Living, teaching, and farming since 1978.
Over the years, I have maintained various bird feeders.
In all those years, I have never seen a non-native sparrow,
Rather, only two native sparrow species, 
The White-crowned and Golden-crowned individuals.
This year (2026) in January, I was shocked by 
Observing two House Sparrows on the feeder.
This species is known for its aggressiveness.
Watching carefully, I calculated how often the House Sparrow
Displaced the other two species off the perches.
The House Sparrow most often succeeded.
Then, when the seed level got very low, barely reachable,
The House Sparrow, yet more rigorously, maintained the perch position.
This seems to be because at the end of the seed supply,
It must be defended more vigorously.
Moreover, the House Sparrow strongly defended its position 
Because of its bill size,
Which was heavier and slightly longer than that of the other two species,
Thus, it more easily reaches the remaining seed.
(This non-native species is also reported displacing others for nesting sites.)

It was instructive to document this aggressiveness close up,
And not just receive reports of this type of behavior.
Now I need to observe everything much more accurately!

Five-Year-Old MN Child Used to Lure Parent opus 757

So the story goes and reports expound,
Federal immigration agents used a five-year-old boy 
Liam Conejo Ramos, as 'bait', to lure a family member
Out of their home during an arrest in Columbia Heights, Minnesota.
The ICE agents approached Liam and his father
In their driveway, upon returning from preschool.
By one account, the child was used to lure out his mother.
The father told the mother not to open the door.
The scared mother thus did not take custody and is blamed.
Both the child and the father were transported for detention in Texas.
This sad story contains several conflicting claims.

However, as a biologist, I am reminded of other such historical incidents.
During the whaling period of our country and the world,
Whalers would use a similar tactic on another mammal.
They would harpoon the calf and wait for the mother
To get within range to easily kill her as well.
Female and often male mammals defend their young,
And predators in the know will use this behavior,
Starting with a tidbit and ending up with a complete meal.
It appears that both humans and cetaceans react similarly,
Much to the potential detriment of both generations.
Such, as judged by humans, is one of the cruelties
In the struggle for survival and political advantage.