some pics

got some nice pics in Yeliu this week:






for more see http://photos-ftaiwan-jiyueimages.blogspot.com/

copyright Jiyue Publications

New (light) verse

I recently woke up from a dream in which my legs were lettuces and, among other things, i was being chased down the street by a herd of sheep ...

my apologies for the rhymes; if i had chosen the topic, my legs could have been some nice rhymable thing like beans or leeks or ... but lettuces they were

also, apparently "peckish" means something completely different in US English; in British English it means "slightly hungry"

enough! here's the poem:

The Day My Legs Turned to Lettuce


One day, I woke to find my legs had turned to lettuce,
completely green, from my toes up to my … belt-ish,
well, that was no problem as I was feeling peckish,
so I simply showered in vinaigrette and ate green salad for my breakfast.

I opened a self-grown self-serve vegan restaurant,
serving hippies from Lisboa to Sebastapol,
and I also raised packs of long-haired rabbits,
from which I took wool and made alpaca jackets.

I had to take care, though, when going out of doors,
or I’d be chased by herds of herbivores,
by cows and sheep and other animals,
as well, of course, by those damned hippy cannibals.

[CHORUS] One day, I woke to find my legs had turned to lettuce
well, there was no problem when I was feeling peckish,
so long as I did not succumb to that habitual menace,
of ending up as food in caterpillars’ bellies.

A polite Polish policeman once doffed his hat,
as a leder-hosened German enquired “Kaufs du kopfsalat?”,
meanwhile a salad-mad French artist named Toulouse,
screamed at me “Je voudrais manger your bloody let-ouse.”

[Chorus] One day, I woke to find my legs had turned to lettuce,
well, there was no problem when friends were feeling peckish,
of course, come winter, things could get quite hellish,
as only Russians still eat salad when the weather’s wettish.

With my lettuce ankles and lettuce knees,
I needed to hide my legs from ravenous Cantonese,
from chopstick-wielding Japanese politely saying “itadakimasu”,
and cabbage-missing Koreans hoping to make their kimchi at last.

[CHORUS] One day, I woke to find my legs had turned to lettuce,
well, there was no problem if I was feeling peckish,
and some day, I know I’ll find true love, perhaps in Venice
from a dirty-minded Italian with a green-foot fetish.

Maybe I should look for love within my kingdom,
for someone with baby-corn fingers with no ring on,
or whose own legs are slender asparagus spears,
but preferably who does not have cauliflower ears.

Sometimes I hide my legs when I go on a date,
elsetimes, I just lean back and spread them on a plate,
nonchalantly saying to my sweetie,
“Darlin’, if you’re hungry, you go ahead and eat me.”

[Chorus] Well, that’s all to tell about when my legs turned to lettuce
completely green, from my toes up to my … belt-ish,
my story’s done, there’s no more to embellish,
unless, of course, it’s you who now feels peckish.

[end]

Copyright Jiyue Publications 2012

Fish of the day

well, two days ago

New Poem: Time is not on our side

Time is not on our side,
our subconsciouses know this
so they try to hammer love
out of like
or lust
and sometimes even hate,
striking metal against metal late into the night,
we no longer see what we are doing

the blind leading the blind,
teacherless,
like infants discovering themselves in playschool
wanting to share our uncovery with the world,
we are in LOVE,
cynics sneer:
yes, love, that one-letter word,
frown down on us,

but we don't care,
won't heed these inner voices,
look at US,
we are in LOVE,
repeated and repeating,
hammering hammered late into the night,
like a distant clanging bell,
love ... love ... love ... love ... love ... love ...

fish of the day

well, fish of last month actually.

New Verse - Things Known

Things Known

Before he sits to eat, Jesus knows he will be betrayed.
....Copernicus knows the earth is round,
....Darwin knows there is no God,
....Marx knows the working class must liberate itself,
and, eating their TV dinners ten thousand miles apart, Brezhnev and Nixon know the people will believe their lies.

I only know that today
....before dusk
....you will come
....to watch the dying sun’s rose rays light up the swaying willow leaves
and the rising moon cast long shadows across the river.

I also know that on seeing me, you will smile,
....we will walk,
....talk of music and art,
....religion, science and philosophy,
and enjoy the silence.

I know we will build our home beside the river,
....near the ocean,
....or in the mountain forests,
....where will have two children, one girl and one boy,
who we will call Jasmine and Fred (or maybe Charlie and Nicholas after our idols).

They will go to the local school to learn to read and write and arithmatise,
....that the earth is roundish, that godliness can be found within their own hearts,
....that women, like everyone, must liberate themselves,
....and to recognize that politicians are lying every time their lips move,
but above all, they will learn from cicadas in the trees and birds on the air, from the wind and the rain and the waves.

Furthermore, I know that if we are lucky,
....we will share many more sunsets,
....cuddling close on the shore against the cool evening breeze,
....smiling knowingly to each other,
as we watch our children make the same mistakes we did before.

I know you will hold me close,
....protect me against myself
....as madness claims the last dance.
....Or you will go first,
quietly, peacefully, nodding to sleep in my embrace.

And although it is sometimes hard to believe, I do know that the earth is round,
....that it circles the sun as the moon circles the earth,
....thus the seasons progress and night follows day follows night,
....just as now, among the still willow trees beside the river,
I know that tomorrow you will come.

call me Makgeolli Mark

recipe: steam rice, allow to cool;
boil water, allow to cool;
steriise container;
add rice, yeast, water and cover with cloth;
(one week later add sugar for more kick if desired)

what could be simpler?