Tuesday, 20. May 2008, 04:14:59
poetry, sichuan
Watch Them Sleeping,
Sichuan Children
Come by here
and watch them sleeping.
Little children softly weeping.
Come by here
and warm their night.
Little children sleep in moonlight.
Come by here
and ease their pain.
Little children in the rain.
Come by here
and sooth their fears.
Little children full of tears.
Come by here
and hear them crying.
Little children dying.
Friday, 16. May 2008, 04:07:35
poetry
I walk alone on the new fallen snow, the crunching footsteps following, echoing.
Oh my darling, where are you? Why am I here,
and lonely tears, on this cold path sowing?
Here you walked, in this lovely garden, your spices, lilies,
and herbs were gathering.
What will I see when Spring awakens this sleepy hollow?
Rhubarb and shallots, withering?
Are you sprinkling dew on new planted daffies
with your ageless watering can?
Are you sprinkling poison on an army of ants,
come to raid your honey bees?
Just come again and walk with me
through the Spring’s new budding trees.
Come again my dear, and let your hair be touched
by the Spring's sweet warming breeze.
Your smile is what grew this garden, not mine.
Leave it to me, and of flowers? There won’t be a sign.
Even the hair on your comb will be more beautiful
than this forlorn place without you.
Don’t laugh! You know it’s perfectly true!
Oh! And what of the summer parties?
What will the ladies think?
They will murmur and scoff at how low my resolve,
How low I’ve let the famous garden sink!
You are the only one - excepting your mother of course -
who can revive this wonderful mess!
And don’t blame me, when the neighbors complain,
for I will never confess.
Who is she that’s looking at me
on this chilly frosty morning?
Her face is fair, her eyes cooly stare,
and terrible is her opinion of me!
Miss Tilly, next door, peeks out through her door,
writing dark notes in her diary.
I am sure if you see them, that all her notes about me,
will be darkly critical and fiery.
She just proves the point that no matter how hard,
it’s possible to grow nuts in a garden!
I know it’s true. It’s only you,
who can turn this garden green.
Come back my dear, come back my sweet,
and save both the garden and me.
Friday, 9. May 2008, 08:04:19
poetry
I heard you in the silence,
on your tip-toes, soft and dear.
I heard you in the darkness,
your whisper warm and near.
I saw you in the shadows,
your face was my desire.
I saw you in the moonlight,
beyond the moon lit flower.
I walked to you in shadows,
and when the raindrops fell.
I ran to you in sunshine,
and heard a silver bell.
Upon your finger I put a ring,
when the chorus stood and watched.
I learned the meaning of forever,
when your loving heart I touched.
Sunday, 4. May 2008, 03:11:09
philosophy, Personal
What did I do when someone gave me a life?
AT first I learned to crawl in a funny way that was called my 'elephant walk' since I got up on my four legs (counting my two arms as legs) and tried to go as fast as I could. My family was entertained, though that was not my intent.
I learned the things that babies learn, to walk and talk and run and play.
I learned the things you learn in church and school and in the street and in the park.
I learned the things you learn in university and in your own family raising your own kids.
I learned the things you learn in a lifetime of working with others.
I learned that there was a lot I had not learned and began to look for more.
I found out things that no one nor no thing had ever taught me.
Miracles became apparent that I was not able to see before even though they had been around me every day.
I made up my motto: "Miracles Happen Every Day. Pay Attention!"
My life has changed. It has become smaller and larger. More simple and more fulfilled.
I learned that the enemy is fear, and the answer is love.
Sunday, 4. May 2008, 02:33:52
poetry
Wisps of morning clouds
Greet the borning of the day
Angel’s shadows whispering
Thursday, 17. April 2008, 10:26:05
allegory
She stood there, glowing in the darkness, eyes closed, her veil like a silver mist, falling gently over her face.
The gloom surrounded her, almost caressed her, and was filled with shadows, darker or lighter in vague patterns.
I stood where I could see her, hoping she would open her eyes, and I could make a sign or send a gesture that would make her change her mind.
She just took a deep breath and waited, eyes closed, arms limply at her sides. She was one of the special ones. She knew it. They all knew it.
But I was not one of them, and I had no say. For me to even make a sound was unacceptable. No, they would not be cruel to me. No more cruel than they would be to a bothersome child. i was not sure what they would do, but I knew I would not like it.
So, was I a coward? Was I wrong to stand silently and watch them slowly bind her up? Like a silver ribbon, the bindings were slowly - oh too slowly! - wrapped around her from her feet to her neck. Was I cruel to want them to get it over with? The beautiful deadly ribbon went around her neck... and again... and again.
Her neck was one of the lovely long necks you see on models, but she was not so thin. Of course she was perfect, or she would not have been here in the first place.
I knew the bindings were tighter than they looked. They were just beautiful, but that didn’t make them less tight. Too tight now. I saw her breaths coming in quick little gasps.
I couldn’t watch it. I slowly backed away, and left her to her fate, to her choice, to her destiny.
I had thought I could watch, but now, no. I would have cried out for her. I knew she would not make a sound until the end, and then the bindings would be so tight that she could not make even a tiny sound. Of course that is why they had told me that the girls did this gladly and never cried out.
I walked out through the gloom and dark halls. Behind me... nothing. Nothing had changed except that I would never see her again. I would have an empty place that was filled with only memories.
Tomorrow would be full of light and sound. They would be so happy, so full of joy. There would be dancing, feasting, festivals and lanterns. But she would not be there. Of course her picture would be everywhere. So lovely.
But was the celebration real? Or were they just happy that it wasn’t one of them?
How could their hearts be so different from mine?
The gloom followed me, slithering and bumping and echoing.
I could feel it following me into the night, and the shadows whispered her name.
Thursday, 3. April 2008, 09:39:24
poem, Cinquain
Rain clouds
Whispy and grey,
Weeping softly,
like lonely lovers.
If only I could touch their beauty.
Sunday, 30. March 2008, 14:23:24
allegory
.The Way.
A story by Chinajon
The way opened before the travelers, but it was dark.
The travelers stopped for the night, making a warm fire, near which they huddled in fear.
The travelers prayed, asking for guidance, even though the way lay open before them.
The sky glowed with stars, and many aligned with the way, but the travelers stared into their warm fire and did not see the guiding lights.
The night grew cold, and the travelers crawled into their warm blankets, telling each other that in the new day, they would set out to find the way.
The dawn glowed with pink and yellow hues, which shown down on the way in brilliant dancing beams. But the travelers slept until the day was bright. They shielded their eyes from the light and did not see the way, which lay open before them.
A child from the other side came walking down the path which led to the way. He saw the travelers sitting around the morning campfire cooking various meals. He stood looking at them in curiosity. They did not see him.
He saw them bring in a doe that they had killed in the woods, watched as they butchered it and started to turn it over one of the fires. The child understood the eternal weave, and saw that the travelers did not know of this. Saddened, the child turned back and walked slowly up the path, and wondered if the strangers had thanked the doe for the life she had given them. He decided to ask her about it when he got home.
In the footsteps which the child left behind, grew wildflowers and vines. Soon the path was covered with dots of yellow and blue - the child’s favorite colors - and red berries that were both sweet and tart. As the child entered the way home, rainbows drifted around him in curls and spirals, like fragrant breezes.
The way closed behind him
Friday, 21. March 2008, 15:10:20
poetry
They are everywhere, but who pays attention to them?
Shadows
We have our own, and need no more.
Shadows
The far desert in the bright sunlight is spotted with gray.
Shadows
The sea floor is speckled with blue.
Shadows
My upturned face is cooled by the weeping green.
Shadows
The shape of your love caresses where my heart is broken.
Shadows
Monday, 10. March 2008, 06:18:25
climate change
Well, just a comment in explanation about how 'global Warming' can cause colder weather.
It is indeed possible for a warming condition - it need not be global - to cause colder weather. This is because the warmth we in North America, and Northern Europe, enjoy is a product of a circulation northward of equatorial water. You probably studied this in school. Warm Gulf Stream water flows north, right? Well cold water is flowing south as well.
But in a period of higher than normal temperatures, there is more rain and higher temperatures in the north. This causes more melting of Arctic ice and snow. This melting provides more fresh water to the North Atlantic. Fresh water is lighter than salt water, and does not sink down to join the regular circulation of cold water to the the South Atlantic. This disrupts the overall circulation which includes the warm water which is responsible for warming the North Atlantic. A colder North Atlantic provides colder weather for the Northern hemisphere in general.
It also causes an increase in equatorial water temperatures, which produce more higher temperatures, and more severe equatorial storms such as hurricanes.
Over a period as short as ten years, a climate change could occur with far ranging human consequences that might last for 1000 years..
Google 'The year there was no summer' and 'The little ice age.' In those articles are also references to volcanic explosions which cause short cooling periods.
Saturday, 1. March 2008, 17:36:58
philosophy
For Wiwin, a sweet lady
What if you were successful
in everything you tried?
What if you felt better,
every time you cried?
Do your memories guide you forward,
or simply hold you back?
Does the wind tear your sail to shreds,
every time you tack?
Perhaps you are holding on too tight,
to the thoughts you got in school.
Perhaps you believe you've got it right,
since nobody calls you fool.
You could use a little rest,
now that you have a life.
Just a little well earned rest,
without the daily strife.
But what is it that carries you forward,
the doesn't let you rest?
What momentum is pushing you
toward a goal it thinks is best?
How well do you fly
when you let yourself go?
Do you plummet to the pavement,
or float like a bubble,
ever so slow?
May the glowing light surround you
and protect you while you heal.
May the pains of life you suffered
no longer seem so real.
One step forward. Don't look back.
Two steps forward. Stay on track.
Three steps forward, then fly like a dove.
Four steps forward, and find true love.
This smile's for you sweet lady.
Friday, 29. February 2008, 16:03:06
philosophy
Maybe you have read my statement before: "Miracles happen every day. Pay attention." I am not going to explain. Just know that this post is a result of my journey through the miracles around me.
Where there is a voice, there is a listener.
Where there is love, there is no fear.
Where there is hate, there is pain.
Where there is knowledge, there is limitation.
Where there is life, there is hope.
Where there is death, there is change.
Where there is serenity, there is no hope.
Where there is harmony, there is separation.
Where there is Dao, there is a path.
Where there is a path, there is a traveler.
Thursday, 21. February 2008, 04:05:49
Respect, Courtesy
Given that the only 'court' we are likely to see is traffic court, I agree with the fundamental idea that I should be a gentleman. "I disagree with this idea: A gentleman deems every other better than himself." In this day and age, the spectrum of society is far different than that of the 1800's or earlier. I think a gentleman recognizes that many people in society can not relate to the idea of courtesy, honor, or even respect and that it is not reasonable for him to condone their behavior nor their values. He certainly does not see them as being above himself. This does not mean that he treats them with disrespect. Only that he understands that they will not treat him with respect, no matter what he does.
In another regard, a gentleman is often regarded as the ideal Christian, "turning the other cheek" as it were. This brings to mind two rules of life: The golden and silver rules, which are often at odds with each other: Do unto others as you would have them do unto you, and Do unto others as they would have you do unto them. The second is mirrored by the 'when in Rome, do as the Romans do' advice. A gentleman can can do both.
When with people of the same culture, he treats people as he himself would prefer. When in another culture, he acts - as much as fits his own ideals - as that other culture expects. When you act as you expect in another culture you find that they don't like your behavior, and label you with such as 'the ugly American.'
A gentleman is never arrogant.
This post started with wickedlizard at
On Being a Gentleman.
Monday, 18. February 2008, 11:02:56
work, winter
Is it really Spring?
Wow the sun felt warm today.
I wonder if it is just a temporary lull...
In any case, it's 'hi ho hi ho it's off to work I go!'
My schedule is still crazy and the rooms are even worse! Today I asked them to upgrade a pc to Widows XP.
Woo hoo!
Thursday, 7. February 2008, 13:34:30
friendship, ESL
I have not done an ESL post in a long time. So...
Here are some questions. Answer in English. Answer any that you like!
The topics require a different point of view, so use different grammar, past-present-future:
Describe an object that you use every day (present)
Describe a vehicle that you would like to own (future)
Describe a happy event in your life (past)
Describe an activity you enjoyed in a school lesson (past)
Describe a favorite place in your city that you know well (present)
Tuesday, 5. February 2008, 06:09:51
China Winter
Did you know...?
It is the first day of Spring according to the Chinese Lunar Calendar...
But Jack Frost has China in a deathly grip. It is the worst winter in 100 years.
It has been termed 'catastrophic' with billions in losses and hundreds of thousands of houses crushed under the weight of snow.
8,000 trains were trapped and held immobile by ice and snow. Some transmission towers were toppled by the weight of ice on the lines.
Some cities have been without water and electricity for about a week so far.
The capacity of the Guanzhou train station is 27 million passengers per year. This is about 74,000 per day. The waiting crowd reached 800,000 people!
Some people were trapped on trains for several days. They were trying to get back to their home town for festival days. When the trains started moving under diesel power, they had taken out the sleeping cars and added 'hard seat' cars to handle the huge numbers of people waiting to board the trains. At least one person was trampled to death by the crowds trying to push their way on to the trains. Both the police and army are out in numbers trying to control the miserable, freezing, hungry crowds.
Happy Chinese New Year!!!
Saturday, 25. August 2007, 02:18:17
poetry, poem
My guest has gone with a carefree sigh,
and breezes swirl fragrant garden flowers.
Around the patio their fallen petals lie,
to be washed away by evening showers.
I have not the heart to sweep them away.
Their beauty soon enough disappears.
Like Spring like summer like an autumn day,
their luster will pass, though stained with tears.
Near my home is a shopping mall
with goods from near and far.
Window shoppers both short and tall
seek jackets and scarves and cinnabar.
Such lovely girls walk past my tower
but none of them can wear my heart
pinned to her breast like a yellow flower.
No, my love is of a deeper art.
Gone, my Queen of the Autumn Wind
who’s trumpeters play all night.
Their triumph sings to the breaking dawn
of a new day filled with glorious light.
Her Autumn fragrance lingers still
and weeping willows whisper her name.
Both soft green moss where dew drops spill
and summer breezes share her fame.
There is a statue with tears in its eyes,
Standing near an ice blue sea.
And clouds of pink wander azure skies
but know not when she’ll return to me.
Bronze tears upon a bronze face
will never be redeemed -
A leaden heart can be saved by grace
but not by the siren’s song.
Such pitiful withered orchids lie
upon the field where lovers danced
beneath a moonlit lover’s sky.
At the others the lovers glanced,
not believing that love could die.
Heaven has a feeling heart,
yet a thousand years have passed.
Lapping waves have kissed the shore
waiting for a love to last,
for a lonely ten thousand more.
It’s true that the moon’s grown old.
It sleeps in desolation.
It’s true what you hear it tales untold
but it’s no consolation.
The stone bridge took me roaming
though the wind was cutting and cold.
The sea waves chilly foaming
will wash clean my dreams grown old.
Wednesday, 22. August 2007, 17:57:58
China Winter, China Weather
Sunny?
I hope we can have a sunny day soon.
China is experiencing the worst winter in 100 years. The snow keeps coming. Over 200,000 houses have broken under the weight, and over 800,000 houses have been damaged. Most of this damage is in south China, which is not used to this kind of weather. North China is used to it. In south China, the vegetables are planted under long sheets of plastic to keep them warm. These have been buried under the snow.
I am aware that ice accumulation can break tree limbs and electrical lines. What shocked me was that the ice buildup was so heavy that the weight of it on the lines broke off the top of the towers. 17,000 electricians are out in the weather doing repairs.
Friday, 17. August 2007, 03:23:01
china, Typhoon, Weather
Oh oh...
A "Super Typhoon" is heading toward Taiwan and China.
This is the weather dot com satellite view, if you want to see it:
http://www.weather.com/outlook/travel/businesstraveler/map/AFXX0001?name=asiasatellite_large_animated&day=1Copy and past it.
I hope it will dissipate soon!
Here is a map that I made to show that it is far away from me, but near Southeast China, and Taiwan. They rank it a category 5 typhoon. After it hits Taiwan it will drop to a Cat 4 and hit China.
If it gets all the way over to me (doubtful) it will be weakened to a tropical storm. These tracks usually turn North, not West.
http://snipurl.com/1plr1http://snipurl.com/1plr3These are the same, but which will work for you best, I don't know...
=============
The last of the storm has passed. It did turn Southwest, and brought days of thunderstorms to Shenzhen. This morning had the last of the windy rain saying "Good bye, have a nice day."
Only a few thunderbolts, just to celebrate the tour of China, I guess...
Wednesday, 15. August 2007, 04:07:21
poetry, scene
I awoke to a creaking, and gently tinkling sounds.
Monotonous and intriguing, not worried about the harmonies they were making.
There! Another sound, like a flute, But the notes were different as they wound around.
Wagon wheels, wind chimes and pan pipes welcomed the dawn's warm breaking.
I peaked out from under the wagon's canvas cover to see a meadow's flowers.
Mountain Lilies, shaded gold and dimly white.
A chill ran down my back, and the flowers curled in shadowed bowers.
The day would warm my sleepy soul, and turn their colors bright.
The hill above the meadow was white with melting snow.
The reddish and brown rocks there were round and smooth, covered with a cold sheen.
Then I saw a movement, a rock that moved, just a bit, and so slow.
I looked more carefully to make out just what I had seen.
Brown and white horses! And upon them men, dressed in white and brown.
If only a horse had not moved, they would have been hidden in plain sight,
Now I could see shields, and lances, and there! a commander's flag!
They showed no interest in this caravan, and did not prepare to fight.
I watched them for as long as I could, until we curved into verdant valleys.
They sat, both bold and still, upon their cavalry of calico.
I thought of battles won and battles lost by their rushing violent sallies.
Battles roared and blood fell in my memories from long ago.
I alone ,in the caravan calmly winding,
saw the ghosts upon the hill.
I alone heard echoing hoofbeats sounding
and cries of doom both loud and shrill.
Why don't those aging warriors rest?
Why do they wait upon the snowy hill?
What do they seek in the far off frozen West.
I know not now, but in my dreams, I surely will.
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