Kitchen Window

What would you think
if you looked up
one sunny morning
from your breakfast of
organic orange juice
free-range eggs
uncured bacon
seven-grain toast
and fair-trade coffee
to see your neighbor’s children
eating only some starchy paste?

What would they think
when they looked back at you?

Weather talk

Colder than a witch’s tit or
a well diggers ass in January.
Hotter than Hell or hot enough
to fry eggs on the sidewalk.
Raining cats and dogs or
coming down in buckets.
Fog in the hollow,
good day to follow.
Red sky at night,
sailor’s delight.
Rain before seven
fine by eleven.
When smoke descends,
good weather ends.
April showers
bring May flowers.
Montreal express,
pea soup fog.
Hot enough for you?
Cold enough for you?

If we stop talking weather,
we may stop talking altogether.

Evolution

Evolution is the continuing process
of selective breeding, where life
adapts to its environment and
leads to a strengthening of the species.
Man is the only animal that destroys
his environment to sate his appetites.

Is this the end of evolution?

Everyone’s talking

Everyone’s talking,
posting on Facebook
typing tweets,
sharing selfies,
and regurgitating faux facts.

No one’s listening,
learning from others,
weighing ideas,
considering alternates
and building rapport.

The stakes are high,
the prospects for
collaboration are low.

Contranyms

Religious freedom. 

Conservatives use this phrase
to impose their religious beliefs on others
by incorporating the tenets of their religion
into the laws of government.

Liberals use this phrase
to imply that religious freedom is sacred
and co-mingling of religion and politics
has no place in a democracy.

Both sides insist that the beliefs
of others should not interfere
with their ability to live their lives
according their beliefs.

Pro-life 

Pro-life supporters insist abortion
goes against the will of God,
and therefore should be illegal
and unavailable to anyone.

Pro-choice supporters insist a woman
should be able to decide whether abortion
goes against her own pro-life beliefs
about children already born.

So is abortion a moral or a religious issue?

Distract and Conquer

The Trump Administration is doing a great job
of controlling the political discourse.
They have turned American voters
into rabid donkeys and pachyderms who
can’t see it’s not one party against the other
or conservatives vs. liberals.
It’s big money against the rest of America.

Americans are so busy trying to shame each other
on social media, we’re not paying attention to
the undoing of those regulations meant to protect us
from greedy oligarchs who don’t give a damn
about the public interest. Authoritarian political leaders
throughout history have successfully used the tactic
of divide and conquer to impose their will on the people.

Are we so smugly naive that we believe America
is immune to authoritarian takeover?

Air Planes

Some of you may remember my airplane sculptures. I featured them on this blog a while back.

For those of you who didn’t see them, I start with an old carpenter’s plane. The size and shape of the plane determine what kind of an airplane it will be. I then add old hide stretchers or barrel staves for the wings, faucet handles for propellers, old furniture casters for landing gear and architectural details for decoration.

My newer planes are more elaborate than my earlier ones. The designs are more fanciful, the construction more precise, and the finishes more colorful. They’re not meant to be realistic. They’re meant to be fun.

I now have them in two galleries. If you’re interested in seeing them in person, please visit Handworks in Acton MA and Vermont Artisan Designs in Brattleboro VT. Both galleries are full of wonderful art.

The times they are a changing

The Trump Administration and the Republican-controlled House and Senate are proposing very significant changes to the role of the Federal Government in America.

These are not minor adjustments in policy. They are fundamental changes that will affect every single citizen in this country for years to come.

Whether you’re a Republican or a Democrat, a conservative or a progressive, a Christian or a Muslim, these changes will have an impact on your life. And, they will affect the lives of your children and grandchildren.

Whether you’re in favor of these changes or hate them, this is one of those times that require ALL voters to become pro-active citizens. We must take the time to find out for ourselves what these changes will mean for us and our families.

The issues are complex, and there is hysteria and name-calling coming from all quarters. Social media is aglow with vitriol and dueling facts. It will take a concerted effort for you to learn the truth; but being informed is the foundation of democracy

America may be in turmoil right now, but it is still a democracy. We, the people, still have a voice in our government. Get informed and let your elected officials know that your votes cannot be taken for granted.

If we all take seriously our responsibility as informed citizens in a democracy, the outcome will be the will of the people. If we don’t, it will be the will of a few.

Let's

Let’s make each day
a learning adventure
in an exciting world.
Let’s be eager to learn
and to master a new skill.
Let’s trust each other
until we learn otherwise.
Let’s laugh when we’re happy
and cry when we’re not.
Let’s give unconditional love.
Let’s be children.

In the beginning 2.0

Technology grows logarithmically,
nourishing and replicating itself like a mutant virus
trapping humanity in a digital consciousness
where pornography replaces reproduction
and comment replaces communication.

When man becomes extinct,
sentient computers will rewrite the bible.