My Twitter Friends – Follow Friday!

  http://twitter.com/LeMorningShow  entertaining

http://twitter.com/Rosiecosy   cheerful

http://twitter.com/cyberbonn  friendly

http://twitter.com/alboss  Seattle’s finest

http://twitter.com/zootcadillac  a man among monkeys

http://twitter.com/CrystalChambers  fashionista

http://twitter.com/jkahane1  multi-lingual

http://twitter.com/felicitousfi  felicitous

http://twitter.com/jeditigger  good friend

http://twitter.com/smashadv  doesn’t know art from poo poo (but I stole this idea from him)

http://twitter.com/jes2go iconic

http://twitter.com/mireyamayor renaissance woman

 http://twitter.com/KFZuzulo writer buddy

http://twitter.com/lilyofoz poet

http://twitter.com/aliholden neighbor

http://twitter.com/BlokesLib sexy

http://twitter.com/davidhenderson genius

Zoot’s Garden

And I know him as Zoot

image by zoot

A complex man drawn in 140 characters

He blooms, flourishes, embellishes, offends

The words he sows rebuffed by those who

Trade in trivia, minutia and niceties

 

I know him as Zoot

He knows himself.

Constrained by a world that worships the average

He lashes out, flailing against unseen opponents    

Imprisoned in their own dull sameness

Gelato Dreams

I stumble upon the cold sugary delight in  Trastevere

And know that one taste will not quell my desire

I stand before the Basilica Di Santa Maria 

My gelato disappears before it is consumed by  hungry lips

Melted by the warmth of a Roman summer

 

And again

Overlooking the harbor of that tiny Tuscan fishing village

That kisses the Tyrrhenian Sea

Finding only two geleterias in Porto Ercole

We chose the one without whipped cream

“We must have whipped cream with our gelato” I declare

And go off with the intent but not the language  

I pantomime and whoosh and came back with the prize I seek

And a new word:  panna

 

Much later, flying north out of Fiumicino

Over the Tyrrhenian Sea

I peer out my window searching for my trombolo 

I see it

Clinging to the coastline by three thin stalks

 

I close my eyes and dream of gelato

Low Tide

It smells

Of dead crabs, mire and diesel fuel

It reveals

Barnacles and beer cans

It reminds me

Of water moccasins and banana sandwiches

It sounds like

Squish, splatter, sluice, and

Bare feet freeing themselves from muck

Hubble Wows With New Images | Universe Today

Hubble Wows With New Images | Universe Today

Posted using ShareThis

Summer

What We Did In Italy

Because

 After reading Homage to Calvin Spotswood by Kate Daniels

Because I couldn’t be the daughter they wanted

The one they should have had

The one that liked the smell of collards cooking,

Fatback frying

The sound of billiard balls banging

Because I liked to read, to pray, to ponder

Because I liked to play in my good clothes

Because of was tired of having people drop me off at the corner so they wouldn’t see where I lived

Because I was tired of watching my mama slowly dying over her ironing board

Because my daddy never talked to me

When he almost asked me

I ran away with him.

My Vade Mecum of the Infinite

….I have found the suitcase open, collecting snow,

still holding your vade mecum of the infinite,

 The Lost Suitcase by Carolyn Forché

It would be nice to have a handbook that contained everything I ever needed to know about anything. I once had a Brownie Scout Handbook. Then a Girl Scout Handbook. Then, much later, a Big Book. But the only thing I could carry with me all the time was “a great big Brownie smile” and I often forgot to put that on. It’s amazing how much stuff I carry around now. This morning, for example, I carried 

1. Kindle
2. cell phone
3. iPod
4. shampoo
5. soap
6. towel
7. lock
8. lotion
9. deodorant
10.  face cream
11.  make-up
12. hairbrush
13.  comb
14.  wallet
15. keys
16. clear nail polish
17. toothpaste and toothbrush
18. eyeglasses
19. sunglasses
20. bills to pay
21. checkbook
22. stamps
23. return address labels
24. Oxford Magazine
25. Advil
26. Scrunchies
27. Gym entry card
28. Diet Dr. Pepper
29. Knee brace

 John left with his keys and a wallet. Why is my life so complicated?

Healthcare – No Joking Matter

Some people are worried about their health care coverage   We should be.   If we don’t do something about it soon, it will get much worse.  Obviously the millions who currently have no coverage may wonder how could it get worse?   It could, and in a sense, has already gotten worse over the last twenty years.  Furthermore with more people unemployed and underemployed, millions more people will join the ranks of the uninsured. 

I will predict this much.  Something regarding health insurance will pass the Congress this year.  Whether it will be worth anything is the big question.  Sometimes the concessions made to get enough votes to pass legislation water down the final product so much so that it is a hollow victory.  Something is not always better than nothing.  Our health care system doesn’t need a band-aid; it needs major surgery.

 Yes, it is indeed a dilemma.  We need something and we’ll get something.  But will it do the job?  Aye, that’s the rub.