Every day she stands at the chalkboard
and wanders out to the edge of her knowledge.
Eager faces fill the room -
wondering about that next step.
Small particles of truth drift to the floor
as the chalk only scratches the surface.
Just beyond the window a summer’s day
smiles upon the playground - knowing
the one face in the room with all the answers
ticks towards another winter.
When I'm tired, I think about sitting down.
What I'm not thinking about are the rocks or
the venomous snake curled up next to me.
and once I did notice it, I didn't take time
to snap a picture.
There are clues tucked inside. Without a map, you’ll discover your steps go
in both directions. “A dangerous path
is made worse by darkness.”
“Education is what you must acquire without any interference
from your schooling.”
Mark Twain
Peter Caen
Mark Van Meter
Jeremy Talbot
Archer Lincoln
Antigonish
There is no such thing as a 10K run on sentence.
“Across the
alley from us was the Paradise Dance Hall.
On evenings in spring the windows and doors were open, and the music
came outdoors.”
“He always wanted to write a book that ended with the word
Mayonnaise.”
It is not a straight line, this path, but there is a shadow
against the bookshelves. You’ll see it
anytime, day or night, upon the jacket.
(Allison Bartlett)
“This is for all ill treated fellows
unborn and unbegot -
to read when they’re in trouble
and I am not.”
Oh jar in my window
you’ve sat there all night
Today is the day
you’ll gather sunlight
That’s when your lid
I’ll screw on real tight
Then use you each evening
as my little night light.
Oh jar in my pantry
you’re so full of beans
Your powers are greater
than things ever seen,
I have you for dinner
then sit down to rest
That’s when you put
my nose to the test.
To market – to market
it wasn’t too far
But a small flashing light
said my door was ajar
I’ll fill it with beans
I thought to myself
With one back at home
I’ll have two on the shelf.
Oh jar in the fridge
with other things cold
Why do you turn green
when you get too old?
Why is it you’re fuzzy
I can’t really see
it’s so hard to tell
what you used to be
Oh jar in my garage
where I sometimes toil
are you Log Cabin syrup
or 30 weight oil?
should I have you on pancakes
out here in the garage
or carefully pour you
in my 42 Dodge?
Not sure what to expect.
I got an email yesterday reminding me that I have a class today at
10:15am. I had forgotten I signed up for
it. It’s a free class at the
library. I’m bringing a couple of pens
and a notebook with me. Oh yes, I’m also
bringing my mask and some Lysol wipes.
And maybe some hand sanitizer.
You know – book worms.
I am hoping to reduce my frustration level. I know, I only use this thing as a typewriter,
but all too often I bump up against a command that gives me the struggles. Trust me when I tell you, the struggles can
be quite frustrating, and when frustration levels rise, well… it tends to slip
me off track. I need to stay on track
when I’m writing, or I go off on these tangents. Actually, I think the word
Tangent is a mathematical term, referring to a direction other than the one
intended originally.
I could be wrong about that.
I’ll have to look it up. Ha ha,
my initial thought was to grab my Oxford dictionary. Talk about obsolete. That’s right up there
with typewriter.
Am I stuck in the past – or what? Maybe this class will be too advanced for
me. I hope it is for beginners. Well, not too beginners. THIS IS A KEYBOARD. Write that down. It will be on the test. Yikes!
I hope there aren’t any tests. Maybe this was a bad idea. Really, I’ve had bad ideas before and you don’t
really know they’re bad until you suddenly find yourself wearing hospital socks
and doing a paint-by-number in a room painted green, because green is a calming
color. I’m not sure what number green
is, but by the looks of it, they stayed inside the lines.
What’s he talking about?
I don’t know. He goes
off on these tangents.
