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The book our mothers read

THE BOOK OUR MOTHERS READ

I was first introduced to John Greenleaf Whittier (1807-1892) when I was in high school.  He was a Quaker, native to New England, an abolitionist and a poet.  We read one of his many works, and it was called The Book Our Mothers Read.  It has only eight lines, but those eight lines contain the wisdom of the ages.  This is what Whittier writes: “We search the world for truth; we cullThe good, the pure, the beautiful,From graven stone and written scroll,From all old flower-fields...

CALIBAN UPON SETEBOS

CALIBAN UPON SETOBOS

Deena sent me to the market a year ago.  She asked me to bring home a pair of steamed lobsters.  When I arrived, I went to the seafood counter to place my order and a young clerk a bit on the scrawny side asked me to pick out the lobsters from the tank next to the counter.  There were about eight to twelve lobsters in the tank, but only two were actively moving about.  The clerk looked at me.  One or two lobsters appeared like...

Namazu Messenger from the sea dragons god.

MESENGERS FROM THE SEA DRAGON

Welcome to my visitors from Nippon. In this post, I will be discussing the recent encounter with an oarfish (Namazu) which are thought to be ryugu no tsukai and the legend, history and science concerning these mysterious but magnificent creatures. In the past, the beaching of oarfish have been thought to precede earthquakes, tsunamis or other natural misfortune. The sightings On July 15, 2023 divers off the coast of Taiwan noted an oarfish just over two meters long swimming close to the surface of the ocean.  Oarfish can...

Sunshine and Shade: Emily Dickinson

SUNSHINE AND SHADE

I suppose I might have titled this post “Emily Dickinson: America’s Sweetheart” instead of “Sunshine and shade” and it would not be far from the truth. Incidentially, the woman on the feature photo is not Emily, but I wanted someone in period costume to suggest the age in which she lived and died (1830-1886.) The woman in the photo is not actress Cynthia Nixon, but she suffices. Was Emily truly America’s Sweetheart? Perhaps not then, but certainly now. Among the...

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