Author Archives: lifelessons

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About lifelessons

My blog, which started out to be about overcoming grief, quickly grew into a blog about celebrating life. I post daily: poems, photographs, essays or stories. I've lived in countries all around the globe but have finally come to rest in Mexico, where I've lived since 2001. My books may be found on Amazon in Kindle and print format, my art in local Ajijic galleries. Hope to see you at my blog.

Cellar Door

 

 

As doors go, this is a much prettier door than a cellar door.

After I wrote my poem, forgottenman apprised me of the significance of “cellar door“—that being that many consider it to be one of the most beautiful phrases in the English language, apart from its meaning.  Since I had already written my poem using “cellar door” in its literal sense, I published my first post anyway but now feel compelled to rebut it as one of the most beautiful phrases (or words) in the English language and to suggest a few more.  Propinquity is one, although I still have to look it up every time I hear it. Ascendency is another, as is onomatopoeia–but that is too obvious a choice. Parsimonious or terrarium. Gondola. Pandemonium.  Okay.  It’s getting late and let’s face it.  There are lots of beautiful words in the English language, and in my estimation, cellar door isn’t even in the running. 

 

The Daily Inkling Prompt today is cellar door.

Home Security

Home Security

Pop up from your basement and slam the cellar door.
You don’t want a beaver chewing through your floor.
Plug up all the chimneys so birdies won’t fly in.
The only ones you should admit are your friends and kin.

Build a wall around you. Do only what you’ve done.
Letting in those foreign thoughts surely won’t be fun.
Do not talk to strangers. Speak only to your kind.
Hearing other points of view just clutters up your mind.

What you know is all there is so do not search for more.
Board up all your windows. That’s what boards are for.
Do not let other cultures in, for the world is strange,
and if you let the world in, you may have to change.

The Daily Inkling Prompt today is cellar door.

R.I.P. Hibiscus. Really. The Very Last Shots

The last of this one, at least. Pasiano swept it away today, but not before I got these shots.

Click on any photo to enlarge all.

For Cee’s FOTD

Dry

If I sprinkled you with water, would your coma then abate,
or in trying to revive you have my actions come too late?
Just days ago so vigorous and such a swaying beauty,
you have languished into docile as though you have done your duty.

Prompt words today were vigorous, coma, docile and sprinkle. Sound like opposites to me! Here are the links:

https://ragtagcommunity.wordpress.com/2018/11/26/rdp-monday-vigorous/
https://fivedotoh.com/2018/11/26/fowc-with-fandango-coma/
https://wordofthedaychallenge.wordpress.com/2018/11/26/docile/
https://onedailyprompt.wordpress.com/2018/11/26/your-daily-word-prompt-sprinkle-November-26-2018/
https://ceenphotography.com/2018/11/25/fotd-november-26-2018-dahlia/

Eulogy for Hibiscus: FOTD Nov 26, 2018

Yesterday I said that it was the last photo of my welcome home hibiscus that I would post, but at the request of forgottenman, I am publishing two more stages of its life. This morning I went outside to find the flower fallen to the terrace floor, but when I opened its clasped fist, I found that forgottenman was right and there was still more beauty to display, so here is a medium shot of a hibiscus at rest and tomorrow will be the last two closeup shots.  R.I.P. hibiscus beauty.

 

Click on first photo to enlarge both.

Happiness???

A few days ago I wrote a poem on my blog entitled “Black Friday.”  This creative animated film by Steve Cutts so perfectly illustrates it that I had to share it with you. Really inventive and indicative of our modern world.

 

Plastic World

 


Plastic World

There is a growing flood of it, a mountain and a wall.
Soon I fear that there will be nothing else at all.
If we do not terminate its profligate production,
bring about the changes that will lead to its reduction,
our entire plastic world will be bought with our blood.
We will face oblivion through fire and through flood.
No air to breathe, no water left to slake our growing thirst.
If we don’t do our best to change, I fear we’ll earn the worst.

 

The prompt words today from 4 different sites are plastic, flood, oblivion and termination. I think the relationship between these words is so obvious and sinister that I was determined not to pursue that path, but instead to find a more optimistic way to make use of them. I tried all day to find another poem in these words, but I have finally sunk to the inevitable. Let’s hope the world does better. Here’s my poem, about twelve hours later than usual.

https://ragtagcommunity.wordpress.com/2018/11/25/rdp-sunday-plastic/
https://fivedotoh.com/2018/11/25/fowc-with-fandango-flood/
https://wordofthedaychallenge.wordpress.com/2018/11/25/oblivion/
https://onedailyprompt.wordpress.com/2018/11/25/your-daily-word-prompt-termination-November-25-2018/

Another Even Trippier Musical Animation. Brilliant

St James Infirmary Animation. Wonderful

Up Close and Personal: Hibiscus, FOTD Nov 25, 2018

IMG_5589

I’ve been zeroing in on this hibiscus since I got home 5 days ago.  This one is about as personal as I’m going to get! You can click on it to zero in a bit more.

For Cee’s FOTD