Author: steeleweed

Götterdämmerung: – Noises Off

  Being the first in a planned Twilight series of observations and ruminations on the state of the world and its denizens, past, present and future.

Return On Investment: As ye sow, so shall ye reap.

  When I was a teenager, I drove a 1924 Star. It rattled, creaked, squeaked, clinked, clanked, banged, jangled, clattered and protested mightily when called upon to actually move, but it did get me to school and an occasional jaunt into the countryside. We had to scrounge up old tires and spare parts, even machining some pieces in shop class, since Durant Motors was long out of business. Keeping it on the road became increasingly difficult and complicated. I finally decided it wasn’t worth the time, money and cussing. It might have had some value to an antique auto collector, but it had a negative ROI as a useful means of transportation. As I look around, a great deal of what I see reminds me of that old car.
There are a lot of individual pieces that need to work together. And they aren’t.
Continue reading

Turkey Day?

A couple of us Agonistas solicited Sean Paul Kelley’s views on the current brouhaha involving Turkey and Syria. Having recently returned from Istanbul – a city and culture he knows well – and with his familiarity with the peoples and history of the area, he was kind enough to enlighten us with the following:

  This last election, just two weeks behind us now, more or less, proves the following: The AKP has firmly consolidated its power in Turkey in the political realm, the media, the military, the ministries and the provinces. They have swept the board, run the table, pick you metaphor. They’ve won. Continue reading

Wenn Man

Wenn man ein Wunder sehen wuerde,
muss man ein Wunder sein.
Aber die Seele is nicht zu gut;
der Kopf is viel zu klein.
Gehst du so froelich durch die Welt,
wirst du zum Ende kommen.
An jeder Stadt ist Tod gestellt.
So is dein Leben genommen.

Ach, vergangane Liebe

Ach, vergangene Liebe,
im Regen stehst du noch,
und ich muss ja errinnen
Leid un Lieder doch.
Heute weiss ich nichts welche
schoener am Herzen war.
Ich weiss nur dass die beide
verwunden mich sogar.
Aber eine ohne andere,
waere Heute ohne Morgen,
erhalte ich zusammen
die Freude und das Sorgen.

Brooklyn Heights in Spring

Amazed at the variety
of people every
size/shape/headstate.
What most attracts, surprises and disgusts me
is that each thinks
he has
the Secret,
knows best how
to live
Life.
The women are pursuing themselves
as time permits, as times permit,
for their lives are complicated
by the men. The women put up with them.
It uses most of their energy,
putting up with the men.

Chumley’s

It is pleasant to see
the poet/letter-writer/whateversheis
smile
as she looks up from the paper,
smile as she glances at the others
or at some private thought
or because she feels like it.
She has a nice
smile.
I’m jealous because I didn’t invoke it.
Maybe I did. Maybe
she smiled at the sight of me.
And maybe
she just smiled.
It suffices. Today
is not a total waste.
   Thank
      you.