Author Archives: JRL

The Vocabulary Lesson: qasida

If the words we choose are merely tools
that separate the wise men from the fools,
what kind of workshop is the kind of school
where any passion in our hearts is cooled
and what we learn is just a set of rules
and reasons why our lives are base and cruel,
an endless search to find some precious jewel
that uses our own hearts and minds for fuel? Continue reading

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With Us: pantoum

The world is too much with us to pretend
that it is just a temporary slot,
a way to pass some time from start to end
or make it believe it’s separate. It’s not

that it is just a temporary slot,
a proving ground for weighing thought and deed.
It is the whole of everything we’ve got.
There is no other lifetime guaranteed. Continue reading

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Connecting Flights: ottava rima

Against the current swims the steadfast one
who thinks to beat the ocean at its game.
What starts as just a wager made in fun
becomes, after an hour, much the same
as boasting that you could stare down the sun.
You cannot win. Admit it. There’s no shame
in realizing you are very small,
and not much worry to the world at all. Continue reading

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The Edge of War: Keatsian (English) ode

Let fly the cannonballs and fiery stuff, release the fire arrows in the night! They don’t already know it, but enough is more than quite enough. It’s time to fight. What good is mere diplomacy and talk, when no one listens or misunderstands? There is no point in waiting any more. Our greatest weapons will leave them in shock. When it comes right down to it, no one can resist the subtle serpent’s song of war. Continue reading

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Hunter-Seekers: limerick

There once was a curious soul
who searched high and low for the whole;
each time she would start,
she found just a part,
and imagined it gave her control.

There once was a mystical clod
who claimed he had spoken with God;
some found him absurd,
but took him at his word,
despite all his attempts to stay odd. Continue reading

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About a Horse

I’m writing a book. Now if that’s not the stupidest idea I’ve ever had, I’ll eat my hat. Not because I’ve run out of words, but because the book I have in mind doesn’t solve anything, teach anything, or have much nutritional value at all. Continue reading

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The Recipe

You want to see the world a different way?
They say you only need a different light.
You choose to flip the switch, or change the bulb,
or light a candle. You get to decide.

You may choose colored filters to compare
the view that might be, from the one you know.
Another person might increase the watts;
or point the lantern differently from you. Continue reading

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