High Flight

Oh! I have slipped the surly bonds of Earth
And danced the skies on laughter-silvered wings;
Sunward I've climbed, and joined the tumbling mirth
Of sun-split clouds, — and done a hundred things
You have not dreamed of — wheeled and soared and swung
High in the sunlit silence. Hov'ring there,
I've chased the shouting wind along, and flung
My eager craft through footless halls of air. . . .

Up, up the long, delirious burning blue
I've topped the wind-swept heights with easy grace
Where never lark, or ever eagle flew —
And, while with silent, lifting mind I've trod
The high untrespassed sanctity of space,
Put out my hand, and touched the face of God.

— John Gillespie Magee, J

Michael Jackson's Moonwalker Head Goes on the Auction Block

It is expected to sell for $2,000-$3,000. Featured at the end of "Moonwalker," the head lights up in addition to moving. The auction will take place April 29 from Shaan Kokin/Julien's Auctions.

Aimless Love

This morning as I walked along the lakeshore,
I fell in love with a wren

and later in the day with a mouse
the cat had dropped under the dining room table.

In the shadows of an autumn evening,
I fell for a seamstress
still at her machine in the tailor’s window,
and later for a bowl of broth,
steam rising like smoke from a naval battle.

This is the best kind of love, I thought,
without recompense, without gifts,
or unkind words, without suspicion,
or silence on the telephone.

The love of the chestnut,
the jazz cap and one hand on the wheel.

No lust, no slam of the door –
the love of the miniature orange tree,
the clean white shirt, the hot evening shower,
the highway that cuts across Florida.

No waiting, no huffiness, or rancor –
just a twinge every now and then

for the wren who had built her nest
on a low branch overhanging the water
and for the dead mouse,
still dressed in its light brown suit.

But my heart is always propped up
in a field on its tripod,
ready for the next arrow.

After I carried the mouse by the tail
to a pile of leaves in the woods,
I found myself standing at the bathroom sink
gazing down affectionately at the soap,

so patient and soluble,
so at home in its pale green soap dish.
I could feel myself falling again
as I felt its turning in my wet hands
and caught the scent of lavender and stone.

Billy Collins

Etymology Lesson

Ecstasy: to stand naked before from the Greek word ekstasis, meaning: standing outside oneself

Passion: strong and barely controllable emotion from the Latin word pati, meaning: to suffer

Painting as reproduced in: Henry Geldzahler and Robert Rosenblum, Andy Warhol: Portraits, Munich 1993, p. 91.

Dieter Mersch

Movements of Avant-garde Art:

›Aisthesis‹, ›Ekstasis‹, and ›Askesis‹.

›Aisthesis‹, ›Ekstasis‹, and ›Askesis‹.

›Aisthesis‹, ›Ekstasis‹, and ›Askesis‹.

»withdrawal of art from art« (Joseph Beuys)

»It must turn against that which constitutes its own concept,« says Theodor W. Adorno in his Ästhetische Theorie, »and in so doing it will become uncertain right down to the very fibers of its being. It is not, however, to be dismissed as an abstract negation. By attacking that which the entire tradition considered to be guaranteed, the bedrock on which it stood, it transforms itself qualitatively; it turns into another.«

LOVE PUT ME IN A STRAIGHT JACKET (2005)

I string love along with

Clever eyes and moist lips.

He reaches out to hold me as

I dodge his grasp with swinging hips.

Feather caresses and sexy glimpses

He stares and inside, I smile.

Our eyes meet, love thinks he knows.

So I let his feeling fester for a while.

The attachment grows, sick and twisted.

As one side is stronger, it starts to bend.

I feel his embrace hold longer and I know

That this is the beginning of the end.

My smile slopes with weight

As my lungs close up with panic.

He keeps coming back for more.

Love put me in a straight jacket.

Lost in the maze of a circular design,

Of finding salvation and then I run,

Love’s orbit in my life spins me away.

Death to Love by my atavistic gun.

11.06.05

What is this sensation?
Temptation?
There’s nothing that compares…
I feel it in me, the heat.
When you smile, does that make it worthwhile?
God you were the best I ever had.

Best of Rob Sheffield Quotes

“Jagger didn’t slow for a second, prancing around the stage and swiveling panther hips as if Lucifer was his Pilates instructor.”

Don't Smile When I Ping You

Hide your smile
When I ping you
Cause he'll know
You never smile
For him like that

Hide your smile
The one that twirls your curls
around your little finger
with the fancy diamond on

Hide your smile
The one that shrieks
When I touch you
Cause he'll never touch you
Like that

Hide your smile
At the dinner table
Order the lobster
Just save some
Room for later

Hide your smile
When I ping you
Cause he'll know
You never smile
For him like that

For The Southern Hoes

left the moonshine down south
and drank all the natty
now I'm a big city girl
may I call you sugar daddy?

see I've got nice manners
big hats, high heels but
none of that matters
If I can't be your candy

I loved a boy once
With pretty blue eyes
Sandy white hair
And a mouth full of lies

He rode a big truck
With a brain full of hay
Whispering sweet nothings
Like let's marry someday

So I felt in his pocket
Reaching for the jewels
But you can't buy my love
With pennies and bubblegum

Left the moonshine down south
and I drank all the natty
now I'm a big city girl
may I call you sugar daddy?

I found a studio palace
And bought a cashmere bed
Satin sheets with diamonds
Just can't pay the rent

Who cares if I'm 17
And your 45
I saw your Ferrari
I'm old enough to drive

Left the moonshine down south
and I drank all the natty
now I'm a big city girl
may I call you sugar daddy?

“Rules for a Congressman in Washington”

During the third session of the 76th Congress, on March 18 1940, Rep. Luther Patrick of Alabama outlined before his fellow members of the House of Representatives 10 simple “Rules for a Congressman in Washington” to succeed.

1. Entertain with a smile constituents, their wives, their sons, sons’ wives, etc. Go with them to the White House; show good reason why you are unable to personally have them meet the President; take daughters to meet midshipmen at Annapolis.
2. Explain what bill is up for debate; point for discussion; how it will be passed; how you will vote and why.
3. Attend to the balcony and point out leading members of Congress.
4. Respond to worthy causes; make after-dinner speeches, before-dinner speeches; learn to eat anything, anywhere, any night—work all day, dictate all night, and be fresh as a rain-washed daisy for next day’s duties.
5. Be a cultured gentleman, a teller of ribald stories, a profound philosopher, preserve a store of “Confucius say” gags; be a ladies’ man, a man’s man, a he-man, a diplomat, a Democrat with a Republican slant, a Republican with a Democrat viewpoint, and admirer of the Roosevelt way, a hater of the New Deal, a new dealer, an old dealer, and a quick dealer.
6. Learn how to attend six to eight major functions, rushing home and back during each term on one round-trip travel pay.
7. Have the dope on hot spots in town.
8. Learn to be an expert guide. Keep car in tip-top shape.
9. Know names and dates related to all points of interest, and be able to explain and supply information regarding public buildings and statuary about Washington.
10. Be an authority on history, travel, psychology, philosophy, education, economics, civics, finance, export trade, Government printing, international relations, neckties, and fishing tackle.