Fortune (poem)
Fortune I was a hired paw to rid the land of vermin I was not idle as accused Nor so important as to be The plague and not her servant Her vector stirred among the coverlets Ricocheting with her whispers Into willing ears and lodging Under eyelids bringing tears My Hearer, it […]
My Blog Week: March 22 to March 28
All the Latest from Torsade! A Word on the Week Part and Parcel It’s not a question of whether the environmental benefits of coronavirus lockdowns count as an upside to the pandemic. We’re far enough along […]
The Smell of the Crowd (poem)
The Smell of the Crowd see justice pulled from the frying pan nicely crisped at the edges, greased both sides you may say, done the owner considers the tone a diminution in the smell of the crowd his helpers lose keenness for their work all of them wishing to be at home, […]
When You See God (poem)
When You See God When you see god nose your horizon Inconvenient choosing the hour before the alarm goes off Before you lift your fork Before you find your pen and jot your thought An acronym, had it been? for blunder A plan you’d had to get thinner By mistake you run […]
Zealots (poem)
Zealots Would it not revive him in a way Guarantee his life with a club key So he makes a bribe to the canal boatman And follows the stream with a binocular on Soon to enter the private door through a tunnel of privet But appetite remains which he admits The thought […]
Respect (poem)
Respect When my child died to me, you had the task of going from my sight, or if returning If seeking your old place, no glance aside No murmuring. For these rebuke, it is not kind to come into my presence with such looks That, saying much, and saying naught, dare teach […]
Cartoon Stories: Historical Hijinks
Cartoon Stories Historical Hijinks This week, some riffs on topics drawn from history. Buzz Word. “Hello” is an evolved word, from hola (to fetch), more or less its Germanic origin. Of course, hello is basically an Americanism, but anything (and everything) goes in cartoons. New slang is forever […]
My Blog Week: March 15 to March 21
All the Latest from Torsade! A Word on the Week Buying Our Way Out First, a few policy points (because I have faith my readers are on the side of right, and don’t really need telling): […]