nightserf

I am smitten with her voice, and feel I should recognize it, but i don't. Help!

I have critiqued more poems than I've posted, and that's not right, is it? Poets should take risks, after all, and live on the edge. So I'm going to write this one the fly and post my first draft, something I rarely do. Here goes:

Don't Look Back

I led you on, I know

and watched your feelings grow

for all the surprises,

sunsets and sunrises

the foreplay and afterglow

I knew I'd have to go

away.

I didn't mean to do

the slightest harm to you

but passionate fires

and selfish desires

controlled me before I knew

the pain I'd put you through

today.

But the road that I've chosen to follow from here

is meant for my footsteps alone

and all the conventions

and best of intentions

can't cover my crime or atone

to you.

And so I take my leave

and leave your heart to grieve

and though I be witless

as God is my witness

my heart will stay on your sleeve

for you to wear or cleave

in two.

I'm partial to Elements of Style (Strunk & White) and On Writing Well (Zinsser). King's On Writing is fun, too.

In another forum, a Christian wrote to me: "I am the church... . All beleivers in Christ ARE the church, Christ's body, so in fact I AM a member of their church... ," to which I replied:

This is an interesting point of view, but this eternal skeptic would like to test it. Christians on this forum, I'd like your views on these points:

1. Does everyone who professes Christianity embody the Church so that every Christian is a member of every church?

2. As such, do you believe that your local church is answerable to every Christian everywhere for its ministerial priorities and decisions?

In other words, to what extent do you believe that <name deleted> has a right and a duty to chastise a church with which he has had no previous contact and to lay down rules for the conduct of their ministry when he gets upset over a news item. By the way, keep up all of your good works. Even if I can no longer believe, I am happy for those who do and celebrate their acts of kindness.

In another forum, I told someone, "If you handled a pistol the same way you handle language, you wouldn't have any toes left."

That was pretty good, but I'll bet some of you have done even better. When it looks like all the answers are in, I'll put this one to a vote.

You know the ones I mean:

Did you know... ?

Why can't you see... ?

Help plz!!!?

They proliferate from one end of Q!A to the other. I usually ignore them: to get my attention, a question must be interesting on the face of it. How many agree, though, and how many frequently open the links to see where they are going?

One word answers will suffice: "open" or "pass."

fossil records

--------------

living in another age,

i scarcly noticed time go by

at such an earnest pace.

information highways fly

at dazzling speeds that terrify

these hands that long

for parchments

in their place.

i never will again, i sigh

live a day as old as i.

his old guitar

---------------

the fret-board seems to

know his hands from years

of soft caresses. anticipating

every move, she kisses those

fingers as they dance across

her skin. nor do the strings

hesitate to sparkle with

candlelight and wine as

his hands arouse them

into harmonic bliss.

his heart-strings ring in sympathy

their songs give voice

to dreams. the slow

dance thus begun, they

turn the darkest hour

into the one they own.

Blues for a Darkened Knight (Twelve Bar Blues)

There's eight bars on my window

And twelve bars on my door

I said there's eight bars on my window

And twelve bars on my door

And there's twelve bars down on Main Street

And that's what I'm in here for.

As I went south on Main Street,

I stopped in every bar.

I headed south on Main Street,

I stopped in every bar.

Had eight glasses of whiskey,

Twelve beers, and there we are.

I staggered north on Main Street

'Twas all that I could do

You know I staggered north on Main Street,

'Twas all that I could do

Just looking for my Baby,

And that's when I found you.

I know you had your pistol,

And I just had my knife,

Yes I know you had your pistol

And I just had my knife

It didn't make no difference,

My rage cut off your life.

There's eight bars on my window

And twelve bars on my door

I said there's eight bars on my window

And twelve bars on my door

And twelve steps on the gallows

That's where I'm headed for.

Valentine’s Day

Card by card,

Rose by rose,

Poem by song by year,

There are times I have a plan,

Sometimes I play by ear,

Hand to mouth or

In the flush or

Someplace between

I celebrate my love for you

Where we can be unseen

A child will make a valentine

With paper, lace, and glue

I paste together words and tunes

To show my love to you

So here I am

With heart in hand

And though my words are few

My simple song will not take long

To pledge my love anew

And give my heart to you.

Jazz in the Night

Love with you

is jazz in the night

cool and easy

heavy and hot.

bass lines sliding through

light piano touch

sprinkle light kisses

back and forth.

then the rhythm

moves the hips

hot sax licks

explode into light

from low moans

to wailing crescendo

hands and bodies

move without thought

a perfect improviso

the ultimate duet.

Love with you

is jazz in the night

hot and heavy

easy and cool.

Yeah, I know, that's kind of provocative, especially since I've commented on it before in my answers. But it is one of the most striking differences between the two groups, and it needs to be explored. Maybe we can get a grant... nah! Let's just figure it out here.

I am corresponding with a lady whom I've never met, and she uses it quite frequently. In most Internet contexts, I see it used the mean "laughing out lout" or "lot's of luck." It's a little early for "love of life," but that's all I can think of. Help me out here, folks.

Thanks.

While navigating one of my sites, I had one of their ad windows pop up and had to close Camino to get rid of it. Systemdoctor has been a problem with PC systems: has it been modifed so that it can pose any real threat to Macs running OS X 10.3.9? If so, what is the most effective corrective action?

Obviously many of the new spellings are derived from text messaging. What about the rest of the mess?