Bach: Orchestral Suite No. 1 / Antonini · Berliner Philharmoniker

Edouard L Cortes

 

 

Ray Charles - Merry Christmas Baby

 

a blind man 

can bring a lot of joy to this world

gray skies are beautiful too

a  soft gentleness like a comfort blanket

which covers  the world in love

wrapped in snow  and pine cones

 

 

blue is not always the best

gray is the colour of our seasonal lovefest 

coloured  indoors with stars baubles tinsel and christmas trees

merry christmas baby

the drinks are on me

For Lynn Harrell

Lynn Harrell 1944  - 2020

 

 gazing out at the palms

 in dappled sun light 

on a beautiful summers afternoon 

the haunting strains of the cello

 on the radio pierce my heart

i recognize that sound

 i know who that is 

an overwhelming sadness

rolls over me like a dark cloud 

he has gone

never to return

a great loss to the music world 

i think of you

 already in love

and wonder how i will fare

when you leave me too 

Open Link Weekend  #97

My Lady Hunsdon's Puffe

Sunday Muse # 190

she liked being his angel

he needed her for love and comfort

to survive this world

he was one of the lucky ones

 

too many are alone

no one loves them 

no one cares

their angels being

a syringe or a whisky bottle

 

thoughts and prayers for the homeless

 food blankets and shelter too 

one day in your wildest dreams 

this too could happen to you 

 

 let's be kind to each other

Cyprien Katsaris - Bach: Toccata in C minor, BWV 911

The Whirligig 348

THIS WEEK'S WORDS come from "Big Clock" by Li-Young Lee: clock, face, key, saw, borders, safe, gain, forgetting, smiling, spilled, goes, calendar

 

 

 Open Link Weekend #96

 

 

 

 

the clock and the calendar 

have been sabotaged 

time goes too fast

 

borders closed again

 safe we hope

 for a while

 

 i saw your smiling face

 love spilled over

 am never forgetting you 

here take the key to my heart 

 

 

Dean Martin - Let It Snow! Let It Snow! Let It Snow!

Wordle # 269 MLMM

an awful sight like this

brings you down to earth

she looks at this poor nebbish

warming his bruised hands

by  the fire lit in a battered oil drum

under two dog bridge

dressed in a torn thin anorak

groaning and wheezing  in the cold frosty air

 and it no longer puzzles her

how this could happen to people

not much heart or kindness in this cruel world

heart groan air puzzle bruise fire anorak nebbish two awful bring look

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Hugh Grant's hilarious dance scene in the movie "Love, Actually"

 

 any prime minister

 who looks and dances like this

 has my vote

Birthday at Christmas

 it has always been like this

someone with an entitlement issue

putting their foot in it

on important occasions

Opposing Forces MLMM

You are easy on the eyes, but hard on the heart.
Give every man thy ear, but few thy voice.
Love is an ideal thing, marriage a real thing.
Patience is bitter, but it has a sweet fruit.
Man proposes, God disposes.
Speech is silver, but silence is gold.
Money is the root of all evils: poverty is the fruit of all goodness.

Example of Antithesis in Literature
In literature, writers employ antithesis not only in sentences but also in characters and events.

Charles Dickens’ novel ” A Tale of Two Cities” provides an unforgettable antithesis example:

“It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness, it was the epoch of belief, it was the epoch of incredulity, it was the season of Light, it was the season of Darkness, it was the spring of hope, it was the winter of despair, we had everything before us, we had nothing before us, we were all going direct to Heaven, we were all going direct the other way.”

The contrasting ideas, set in parallel structures, markedly highlight the conflict that existed in the time which was discussed in the novel.

 

life is comprised

 of flickering fleeting moments

 the best and worst

joy and despair

kindness and cruelty

love and hate 

loyalty and betrayal

it's never all good

it's never all bad

that's the way of it

 

 

 

Bill Evans

 

The Sunday Muse # 187

 

 

they wrote a hit song

about the green door

stop wondering

what goes on behind the green door

best get out into the green spaces

give the green door a miss

 

The Wayra ...57768

 

 

 there is something wrong

can't get you out of my head

begone dull lothario

get behind me satan

am too old for this foolishness

 

 

 

The elements of the Wayra are:

1.a pentastich, a poem in 5 lines.
2.syllabic, 5-7-7-6-8
3.unrhymed.

 

AN INSPIRATION......

PLAYING TOGETHER FOR 70 YEARS

Vladimir Horowitz plays Mozart: Concerto No. 23 (1987)

Bach Brandenburg no. 6

Anaphora

 

when it's all too hard

 crawl into bed 

pull the covers over your head 

 

 when its all too hard

immerse yourself in a hot bubble bath

by candle light

when it's all to hard

try to sleep to the soft notes

of a ginger puss purring

when it's still too hard

pick up a phone

you will feel better

when you hear his voice

earthweal open link weekend #91

FRIDAY WRITINGS # 1

Carpe Diem Haiku Kai # 1855

"People are afraid to pursue their most important dreams because they feel that they don't deserve them, or that they'll be unable to achieve them." (Source: The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho)

Dreamtime
inner feelings and emotions
come alive

© Chèvrefeuille

 

a dream

to hold you in my arms

just once 

to hear your fugue

playing just for me

 

earthweal weekly challenge: ALL SOULS

 

 

lighting candles for the departed

in the church

on a rainy november evening

they are not gone really

they are a part of me

i pray for their souls

i think of them

i speak to them 

all the time

they were good people

they took joy 

in all the simple things

they were kind

they were generous

they shared the little they had

they worked hard

they were humble

and

i never knew

how lucky i was

I Was Telling Him About You

 

some cool jazz 

a drink and canapes 

friday night ritual

Carpe Diem Haiku Kai

 

 

CARPE DIEM # 1851

lost and alone

a wandering spirit

beneath the sun 

 Yozakura

better than frost and cold

in the winter snow

 

CARPE DIEM #1852

 

 what has happened? 

petals of red roses around

the morning glory

© Chèvrefeuille (2012)

thoughts of you

in a lovely dream 

 

CARPE DIEM # 1853 

 

 

 the morning sun

the twinkle of stars

still in the dew

 © Jane Reichhold (1937-2016)

another warm day

seagulls raid the bins

 

 SUNDAY TIMELINE # 1

 Timeless beauty

the glint of polished pebbles

in the crystal brook

© Chèvrefeuille,  (2013)

 

 

 

pebbles 

simple beauty 

on a beach 

 

CARPE DIEM # 1854 ... fusion haiku

morning awakenings:

among window curtains' flowers 

a blade of grey sky 

Alexey Andreyev

 

another day ends 

reaching for the stars and the moon

into the dreamworld

Chevrefeuille

no curtains

another grey day ends

flowers in a window

 

 

 

 

 

 

Strauss Oboe Concerto

Paolo Conte - Via Con Me (Lyrics)

 

can't act
can't sing
can dance a little

the assessment from Fred Astaire's first audition

 

Scarlatti, Sonata in G major, K 455, piano, animated score

Nancy Wilson - When October Goes..

 

 Writers' Pantry # 91
Earthweal # 87 Open Link Weekend

 

Whirligig # 339 This week's words: from St Francis and Sister Death

 by R W Trommer

humble  dance dinner heart hut ashes baby shame partner mystery praise doors

 

it's okay baby 

i know
you live in a humble hut
it makes no difference
even though the doors are closed to me
i only have praise for you

i know
we will never go to a jazz club
have dinner
clink champagne glasses
or listen to nancy wilson
i know
you will never partner me
in that slow dance together


i know
your heart is elsewhere
it makes me sad
it's such a shame
you will always be a mystery to me
we only share broken dreams and ashes

 

" I should be over it now, I know
It doesn't matter much how old I grow
I hate to see October go "

 

 

Carpe Diem Haiku Kai #1850

falling sick on a journey

my dream goes wandering

over a field of dried grass

Basho

 

 

 

 a  last breath

taken by the winds of Autumn

leaves dance on

Chevrefeuille

 

 the distant plaintive 

sound of a bamboo flute 

eyes close for the last time

 

Carpe Diem Haiku Kai # 1849

 

gentle breeze

refreshes my troubled mind

finally peace within

my head completely empty

through the gentle breeze

Chevrefeuille

he has returned

arms laden with tulips

gentle words and angel breath

welcome back to haiku home

it has been too long

Les Feuilles Mortes_Yves Montand à l´Olympia

 

 for the lovely warm french women 

dans ma vie

who were all in love with yves montand 

 

ma grandmere... adele alexandrine ludivine 

ma  grande tante...eugenie henriette 

ma mere...marguerite eugenie florimonde

 

 the sun lost a little of its shine when you all departed 

requiescat in pace mes bijoux precieux

you are missed

more than you could ever  imagine

Autumn Leaves

 when autumn leaves

drift

by my window

Keeping it real....Weekly Scribblings # 89Twiglet # 246

 

 the sun sits pretty

over the flower strewn beach

pic lifted

from his f b page

he will never know

he never visits

Víkingur Ólafsson plays Bach Organ Sonata No.4 Andante Transcr. Stradal

Jonquils For You

 you said 

jonquils were your favourite flowers

so  i left a basket of them

on your doorstep

 

i see you

hiding behind the curtain

pretending you are not at home 

  

 i can read your mind 

 i can read your mind 

 i can read your mind 

 just as well 

 

 

 

John Dowland - Fine knacks for ladies (score)

 

spring and flounce memories of madrigal choir practice

in a time when you could folderol all day and disco all night'

when a  man could make a ricotta cheese cake, visit his mother, tell you about his dogwood blooming without keeping it a secret 

when footy socks were not an essential wardrobe item and affection  - was -

 with a lot of silliness,  cavorting, fun and porpoise kissing thrown into the mix  

Great gifts are guiles and look for gifts again; My trifles come as treasures from my mind. It is a precious jewel to be plain. Sometimes in shell the orient'st pearl we find. Of others take a sheaf, of me a grain. Of me a grain. 

 

Writers' Pantry # 88 PSU

Earthweal Open Link # 84 

Cavatina

 

 

 i see you 

standing at the water's edge

 blissful and beautiful

 

 my love for you

overwhelms me

like the huge wave

crashing on the shore

yet i know

i'm not the one in your thoughts

nor will ever be 

still

life goes on

the tides keep rolling in 

the sun also rises and sets 

reason is music to a jaded heart

as i watch the broken pieces 

slip away and float out to sea

Weekly Scribblings # 88 PSU

Let Me Go Mad..... Twiglet # 245

 

 

11: 37

let me go mad

 from 11: 37 onwards

cathartic and exhilirating

releasing the demons

 even better than smashing plates

sorry sophocles spiro socrates

 

 

All we like Sheep have gone astray (Messiah) - Handel

Twiglet # 244 ...breaks light

he breaks hearts

 he breaks light

 he breaks love

 disguised as an angel

Brahms 2 Rhapsodien op. 79 Nr. 2

Bill Evans - Like Someone in Love

es ist ein rose

hiding in the field of flowers

leave it be

Gioacchino Rossini - La scala di seta - Overture

 

 

 the silken ladder

 is an ordeal for an oboist

 it has no appeal 

if your nerve falls apart

 for the sake of your art 

you keep it together with steel

Anne Franck

 

for the wall flower

who poured a little sunlight into the cracks

 thank you

What Are You Doing The Rest Of Your Life - Michel Legrand (Bill Evans)

 

listening to this

 huddled under a fur rug

with marmalade boy

 on a cold spring night

Twiglet # 243

 a floral fantasy

simple and lovely

reality steps in

steps on everything

Es Ist ein Ros' entsprungen (Praetorius) The Gesualdo Six at Ely Cathedral

Weekly Scribblings # 85 .....Spring

 

 

 mr banana

should have paid more attention

to his waistline

joined a fitness program

instead of  wolfing down

schnitzels pizzas and beer

during the winter months

bearing in mind

mrs banana's favourite

season and seasonal activity

 it 's spring

mr banana dreads

this time of year

Vivaldi _ A Duet

BWV 1052 - Harpsichord Concerto in D Minor (Scrolling)

Twiglet # 241 -- Hit the road Jack!

 

 

 only you 

can make me sink 

into an abyss of negativity 

hit the road jack

Whirligig # 332/ Writers' Pantry # 84

 

 THIS WEEK'S WORDS: come from "Basement In A Goodwill Store " Ted Kooser

musty  glittering  carpets  cough  hated  found 

flash garbage thin  forever  rust curtain

 

 the room

covered in musty carpets

the colour of rust

found  ripped curtains on the windows

no flash trash here

 nor glittering baubles 

a  muffled hacking cough

echoes

through the thin walls

of the doss house

 

he is doomed to be

 treated like garbage forever

hated  despised  and rejected

for the crime that our society

can never forgive

POVERTY

 

Wordle # 253 MLMM- Weekly Scribblings # 84

 

 

 pair cull held fustian birds slit aware

 guarantee drop helium portable sleeping pills

they could become

 a  pair of sweet  love birds

 hands  held tightly

enjoying a little happiness

she was aware being in  love 

was no guarantee of a future 

with someone

she was not one for a fustian display

sleeping pills or slit wrists

when things went awry 

she had learnt

feelings can be portable 

 culled  at the drop of a hat

dispensed with swiftly

tied to a helium balloon

and let to fly over the horizon 

into the above and beyond

 

she promised herself

this would be the last time she opens

her heart to anyone

All the things you are ♪ Serge Gainsbourg

 

 

the stars burn

in a jazz cafe 

paris 1964

the owl

watches in awe

Weekly Scribblings # 82...War is over ! if you want it.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Cinquain 

 why not

 battle the wave

wage war on the ocean

embrace the huge white crest challenge 

instead 

Carpe Diem # 1848

 

Jean Francois Millet ......The Angelus

 

farmers stop work

 for a few minutes every day

prayers for a bountiful harvest

the 12 o'clock bell rings out

from the church in the distance
 

Whirligig # 329 / Writers' Pantry # 81

This week's words come from  Evanescent Earth by Maxwell Anderson

 

endless lonely seeks frail motes empty

drift helpless choked ride wild candle

wearying of endless lonely nights

a frail helpless woman is set adrift

alone in the world 

choked with sadness 

she seeks a soul mate

her empty life like a dust mote

in the storm is caught up in a wild ride

buffeted from pillar to post

 

she lights a candle in the church

listens to the organ playing

and finds a little comfort and joy

Whirligig # 328

This Week's Words  come from "Perennial" by R W Trommer

 find field bloom perfume fragrant act 

word root persist forgotten trust follow

words were the root 

 of their blooming

he had not forgotten her

he persisted

he would find her 

she followed her instinct

placing her trust in him

it could have been an act of folly

but it turned out to be a blessing

these days

from the fragrant field 

perfumed by a sea breeze

she watches the wrens

and dreams of

porpoise kisses

A Great Moment

I arrived at the address and honked the horn. After waiting a few minutes I honked again. Since this was going to be my last ride of my shift I thought about just driving away, but instead I put the car in park and walked up to the door and knocked.. 'Just a minute', answered a frail, elderly voice. I could hear something being dragged across the floor.

After a long pause, the door opened. A small woman in her 90's stood before me. She was wearing a print dress and a pillbox hat with a veil pinned on it, like somebody out of a 1940's movie.

By her side was a small nylon suitcase. The apartment looked as if no one had lived in it for years. All the furniture was covered with sheets.

There were no clocks on the walls, no knickknacks or utensils on the counters. In the corner was a cardboard

box filled with photos and glassware.

'Would you carry my bag out to the car?' she said. I took the suitcase to the cab, then returned to assist the woman.

She took my arm and we walked slowly toward the curb.

She kept thanking me for my kindness. 'It's nothing', I told her.. 'I just try to treat my passengers the way I would want my mother to be treated.'

'Oh, you're such a good boy, she said. When we got in the cab, she gave me an address and then asked, 'Could you drive

through downtown?'

'It's not the shortest way,' I answered quickly..

'Oh, I don't mind,' she said. 'I'm in no hurry. I'm on my way to a hospice.

I looked in the rear-view mirror. Her eyes were glistening. 'I don't have any family left,' she continued in a soft voice..'The doctor says I don't have very long.' I quietly reached over and shut off the meter.

'What route would you like me to take?' I asked.

For the next two hours, we drove through the city. She showed me the building where she had once worked as an elevator operator.

We drove through the neighborhood where she and her husband had lived when they were newlyweds She had me pull up in front of a furniture warehouse that had once been a ballroom where she had gone dancing as a girl.

Sometimes she'd ask me to slow in front of a particular building or corner and would sit staring into the darkness, saying nothing.

As the first hint of sun was creasing the horizon, she suddenly said, 'I'm tired.Let's go now'.

We drove in silence to the address she had given me. It was a low building, like a small convalescent home, with a driveway that passed under a portico.

Two orderlies came out to the cab as soon as we pulled up. They were solicitous and intent, watching her every move.

They must have been expecting her.

I opened the trunk and took the small suitcase to the door. The woman was already seated in a wheelchair.

'How much do I owe you?' She asked, reaching into her purse.

'Nothing,' I said

'You have to make a living,' she answered.

'There are other passengers,' I responded.

Almost without thinking, I bent and gave her a hug.She held onto me tightly.

'You gave an old woman a little moment of joy,' she said. 'Thank you.'

I squeezed her hand, and then walked into the dim morning light.. Behind me, a door shut.It was the sound of the closing of a life..

I didn't pick up any more passengers that shift. I drove aimlessly lost in thought. For the rest of that day,I could hardly talk.What if that woman had gotten an angry driver,or one who was impatient to end his shift? What if I had refused to take the run, or had honked once, then driven away?

On a quick review, I don't think that I have done anything more important in my life.

We're conditioned to think that our lives revolve around great moments.

But great moments often catch us unaware-beautifully wrapped in what others may consider a small one.

PEOPLE MAY NOT REMEMBER EXACTLY

WHAT YOU DID, OR WHAT YOU SAID ~BUT~THEY WILL

ALWAYS REMEMBER HOW YOU MADE THEM

FEEL.

 

WHIRLIGIG 326

 

 Another problem caused by deforestation

 

 

make no bones about it

these brave wide awake alert and well trained dogs

hate queuing for natural bodily functions

there are limits

 

without enough trees

what's a dog to do

 

a case of the trots 

can get a holler

from a park ranger

plus a fine

dogs prefer to run free

but are not allowed to

 

 

THIS WEEK'S WORDS come from

"All Dogs Go To Heaven " by Nikki Wallschlaeger

brave, limit, free, awake, hate, holler, trot, natural, making, bones, allowed, without 

 

 

 

Carpe Diem # 1847 - Renga With Jane Reichhold

Here are the six (6) haiku by Jane Reichhold: (1937 - 2016)

beach tent billows
in the summer blue
white clouds

desert sounds
out of the sun's way
clouds moving

morning downpour
raised to new heights
afternoon clouds

dancing lights
clouds sprinkle the sun
across water

clouds
colored by open wall
a driftwood lair

curving with the land
a rainbow of clouds
moves out to sea

 

 Reichhold (1937-2016)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

desert sounds
out of the sun's way
moving clouds
ahead of the camels
plodding along with their bells

clouds coloured
by open wall
a driftwood lair
of sun baked rocks
lizards still like statues

curving with the land
a rainbow of clouds
moves out to sea
the arabs ride in single file
the sea beckoning in the distance

beach tent billows
in the summer blue
white clouds
drift above the flapping canvas
scene from a monet painting

dancing lights
clouds sprinkle the sun
across water
the dolphins ride the waves
like graceful ballerinas 

morning downpour
raised to new heights
afternoon clouds
gather for the rare event
rain in the desert

Carpe Diem #1846

 

 

 

 

 a new day rises

birds praising their Creator

the cry of a baby

© Chèvrefeuille

 

 

 another new beginning

not easy for an orphan

soldier on darling

Carpe Diem Haiku Kai # 1845 - Troiku

 at the seashore

wind of summer through my hair

shortest night

 

Chevrefeuille

at the seashore

waves pound the empty pool

too rough for swimmers

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

wind of summer through my hair

 not down under - brrr it's winter here

a chilly southern hemisphere

 

 

shortest night

it gets dark early -hurry home to

hot soup and woolly socks 

 

Carpe Diem # 1844

Today I would love to share the above haiku with you all to inspire you. I think it fits our theme for today "Returning Back To Normal". Isn't that the goal of a pilgrimage? To find your way back to your Inner Self?  _  Kristjann aka Chevrefeuille

 

 wending our way

 back again to our sweet dutchman's

 haiku heaven

basho hides behind a bush

 the frogs croak all night

 

Sunday Muse # 162/ Writers' Pantry # 72

 

there was a little bird

who had a little friend

who only ever appeared in a puddle

just around the bend 

on moonlit nights he'd see him

amongst the cobble stones

when  all was still and quiet

no humans with their phones

he did not see him often

but they were very very close

cos the little birdie knew

his friend loved him the most