Poetry Formula

I have come to the conclusion that life, poetry, theater and, often, prose are most poignant when they evoke all of our senses (touch, hearing, taste, smell, kinesthesis and sight). For instance, this is why we like going to the beach so much — the warm sun, the roar of the surf, the salt-air and sun lotion smells, the gritty sand on our feet and bodies, the beautiful blue horizon, even the fried clams at the local clam shack.

The same can be said for fine restaurants, the ambience, the soft music, the taste and smell of the food ... even the lush napkins and tablecloths.

So, dear reader, using this formula, here is my doggerel:

A lavender-scented zephyr tugs erotically at my soaring soul,
With its cacophony of siren serenades.
I never expect the acrid aftertastes that I get
When it chills my bones as it fades among the scarlet sunset.

Now, dear reader, you know the secret ... and you too can be another Keats  ...

Truth

"Truth is beauty, and beauty truth ..." -- Keats

Truth today is an endangered species. It has been driven to the hinterlands by the poaching politicians and the medacious media. Lying has become a performance art ... to be practiced and admired on national television and in the press. The more difficult the position to lie one's way out of ... the higher the judges' score. We are now experiencing an Olympics of lying ... with specializations evolving ... sprinters, heavy lifters, long-distance liars ... people who even are lying about lying.

Lying is so pervasive that, when a talking head or a politician tells the truth, it is like a bolt from the blue. And truth is often held hostage in our ivory towers. We are so unused to the truth that it often seems like a lie. "This truth cannot be true! Why it even reeks of common sense ... and wasn't common sense banished by presidential decree seven years ago?" Truth is so shining bright that it hurts one's eyes ... and we can't have our people becoming blind. Lies are much darker and easier to view and understand. Therefore, lies are good and the truth is bad!

You all know where this is heading ...

Truth

"Truth is beauty and beauty, truth."  -- Keats

(This blog entry is only tangentially related to the Rathergate movie, Truth.)

Truth is an elusive elfin sprite. She is a Tinker Bell caught in a typhoon of ignorance, self-serving mendacity, superstition and media obfuscation. And often when this genie is captured in a bottle, she turns to dust with new information. This is because truth in one narrow context may not hold in a broader milieu. For instance while "turn the other cheek" may be fine for the individual, it may not be the best policy for a nation. But universal truth-telling is essential for truly successful governance ... and it is a very rare commodity these days in Washington.

Thus I am currently inclined to use veracity as a yardstick to measure our roster of candidates for president ... and, to me, the greatest truth tellers are Jim Webb, Ben Carson, Chris Christie, Carly Fiorina, and Marco Rubio. Donald Trump might make the list if he constantly didn't engage of puerile put-downs of his Republican rivals. Guess who is on the bottom rung of this believability ladder ranking.among this bunch of wannabes? And, surprisingly, the one who captures my heart and my brain on the top rung is Dr. Carson ... for no other reason than he is willing to tell truths that go against the media meme ... and not back down when challenged.

Yes, my current favorite, if elected president, would find himself in a hornet's nest of backbenchers and backstabbers. But somehow I feel that he, like Abraham Lincoln, has the perspicacity to surround himself with learned deputies who would help him through the gauntlet of incompetence that is Washington.

In fact, if Ben Carson were lucky enough to make it as the Republican candidate, I would suggest he choose as his campaign's motto ... "The Truth Teller."