Thursday, November 30, 2006

winter, Interrupted


Its piled up in the corner...
the firewood...chestnuts and marshmellows..
The cozy winter posts and poems...
Sleds...mittens..smoky breath..
But the temperature...stubbornly wont dip below 40...

Sunday, November 26, 2006

The loneliest moment...


Disclaimer: No one was hurt making this post..

I don’t know who you are
I saw you..for a minute..from my car
I’ll never see you again

neither will anyone else

How can I ever heal..
watching the end of your reel
Sad
Intimate
Lonely
How many love you?
How many miss you?
How many have you loved and known?
There you are ..so alone
As it all ebbs away..
The unexpected final day..
Your young beautiful face
Last seen...illuminated
By a riot of harsh
Flashing red and blue
On the side of a lonely night road
Surrounded by strange faces
Rushing..yelling..
You try to panic..but you have no strength

Is this how it ends?
What about all your plans?
Just like that..
Its all over..
We plan
We live
We don’t think about the end..
We make friends
We marry
We have families..

Then the loneliest
Moment
The moment
That crushes you
With its sheer
presence
Panic
PANIC

Will it last a moment?
Or 5 months?
Horrific crash?
Illness?
Old age..in my sleep?
Surrounded by..
Young grieving children?
Middle aged relieved adults?
Illuminated by
a soft bedside lamp?
A harsh operating light?
Flashing lights on the side of a lonely night road?

This powerful force
We call life
Won’t let us see it coming
Even now after writing this
Its just not sinking in

Its no use..I’ll feel it when it’s here...

Pass the ice cream please...

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Wednesday, November 22, 2006

Heppy Tenksgiving


Hey...Mom
If every day is Thanksgiving Day why am I shlepping to work every day?

So I give thanks today..

To all those that have enriched my life and been there for me...
Thank You

All those that walk in this neck of the woods while my trees fall...thanks for ensuring they make a sound...
I hope no one gets hurt..

Thank you for joining me in this magnificent journey of discovering me and you and this enigmatic yet awesome world we live in...


I just wish the Pilgrims had stumbled upon duck instead of turkey...

Monday, November 20, 2006

Parent Propaganda


Reading to my young ones over shabbos, I’ve noticed that there are many books written for frum kids these days. It forced me to think back to my childhood. When I was a kid we had Curious George and Dr. Seuss (both brilliant). No characters with Yarmulkas that I can remember.

A few things bothered me though.

First observation, if one’s entire knowledge of orthodox Judaism were through these books they’d think that at least half of Jewish kids are of healthy Aryan stock. So many of the kids have blonde hair/blue eyes/upturned nose.
C’mon a little realism here.
What’s wrong with the classic Jewish look?

Then I suddenly realized something deeply disturbing.

The world is run by adults.
Everything children read is written by these adults.
All these children books are nothing short of brilliant propaganda. Propaganda on a scale that would make The Soviet (and kazakhstan) Ministry of Altered Reality look like childsplay.
Pull out a book..
now read carefully...
Chaim and Yanky are fighting..Yossi lied..Moishy keeps a messy room...
The Parents..neat, never arguing, always truthful always quietly rebuking these wayward children.
Are you seeing a pattern here?
I’ve never once seen a frazzled mother turn to a child and yell “Not now! Can’t you seeeee I’m on the Phone!!!
Ever see a father with his shirt untucked? Oh no..always perfect...
Adults..perfect
Children..deficient

All joking aside I really think that such propaganda can lead to a crisis of faith when a child grows up and sees that adults are far from perfect.
I remember finding out something about my “perfect” mother that shook me to the core and in a way made it easier for me to be imperfect and not feel so bad about it.

The lesson should be, there’s nothing wrong with a parent admiting doing something wrong or being too harsh and even apologizing. The focus should not be.."be perfect" but "strive to be perfect". Someone who strives and tries to be perfect has nothing to be ashamed of.

Only then will our children emulate us.

Ok..my next project..
Totty takes out the garbage......finally.
By David

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Friday, November 17, 2006

la la land


In honor of another long delicious Friday Night..I'm reprinting an apropriate poem...from a few months back..

It’s that time..
That perfect time..
When lights go off
One by one
And silence reigns

If it did not exist..
Men would invent this sensation
And men would pay a fortune
To savor her inebriation

But every human being
Has access to her bliss
Can enter it and be enveloped
In her celestial kiss

Its that time when day becomes a foggy dream
And dreams become reality..

We slip into a world..of mystery
And come out with nary a memory
An image..a scent...sights
Too fantastic to comprehend

Dancing elephants...streets carpeted green
Shadows...endless stairways...
Faces from beyond...another world
A mysterious smile...do I know her..?

I’ll never take it for granted
Every night a new ride..
A new adventure

I truly love my bed...my cocoon, my hideaway
I truly love the dreams...that take me far away...
That take me beyond the day.

Good night.

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Sunday, November 12, 2006

Ode to the eldest..


This poem is for you Mr. Intensity
Redefining propensity
Your birth, such intense joy
My miracle My eldest boy
Yes you were my hands on
In more ways than one
Trial, error and success
Joy, pride and stress
You’ve always dazzled us with your brain
Your stubbornness drove us insane

I love you dearly
and I see now...clearly
That no matter what we say
You’re gonna do it your way..
And as you mature...your boat sails on and you go..
We stand on the bridge watching you pass and grow
With tears in my eyes..
What a surprise
All that worry..for naught
And it was silly of me to have thought
Any differently
Because...you see
My dear son...

I see you

in me....



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Thursday, November 09, 2006

Growing up me


Life plays its song
Try
Try to sing along
Shy
Shy to raise my voice
Try
Try, at least make a noise

On the bus, the back stairs
I
I press the ding as my stop nears
Why
Why isn’t he stopping the bus?
I
I sit down
Miss my stop,
not to make a fuss


How much would I have learned
Had I found my voice?
How many stops have I missed?
Shackled by contentment
In the basement
Of life

Engine starts in the distance

Peering out the small window
Pouting
Shouting
Wait for MEEEEE!

But no one hears me

Sunday, November 05, 2006

Vote for Me!


Well well..I just got my annual “you’re too dumb to know which candidate is good for you so let us tell you who to vote for” letter in the mail from the VAAD of Lakewood.
Very disappointed to see them endorse Menendez when the Senate is on the verge of going to the Dems along with the House. I guess they’re getting more cash from him..

So this year I’ve decided to throw my hat into the ring and run for office.

It’s time for Lakewood to go where no town has gone before.

Here is my platform.

I will not rest until every single tree is gone. Trees are a menace to society. They’re big and ungainly and leave huge messes in the fall which cost taxpayers thousands of dollars to clean up.


The Lake must go. It causes traffic problems and hogs precious land needed for the future development of our town.
I’m working on a preliminary plan to eliminate streets altogether and constructing a network of subterranean streets and access to homes. This will allow us to build tens of thousands of townhouses without any hinderances until Lakewood is one giant simmering ocean of vinyl siding.


The naming of developments must be true to form. Enough with names like Primrose Estates and Village Park They should more accurately reflect their appearance. I want to see more names like Chernobyl Park, Vinyl Village and Treeless Wannabe Estates.


Greeting members of different nationalities, races and religions is strictly forbidden. They must be limited to hand waving at a distance of at least 30 feet.


Borrowing on the flawed logic of the Israeli right wing I say..there are over 50,000 towns and cities in this country controlled by goyim why can’t they let us have one?


When I accomplish all this I’ll pack up, resign and find another little lake to sit by.

Vote for David Lake November 7th!


Novemeber 6 Update: I was offered a substantial bribe to drop out of the race and I accepted it. Thanks for all your support anyhow....

Wednesday, November 01, 2006

Shallow waters


Hey
Sure I remember him
He loved to swim
With me in the deep of the pool
In our youthful days of school
We’d swim, dive
Strong, lithe, alive
We’d connect
Intellect

What happened to you?
A few deals..
Jolt of excitement
some Money
Spoiled hunny
Too much to swallow
And there you are in the shallow
Out of shape..
In a silly goofy tube
Surrounded by your toys
Showing off to the boys
Treo, MDX
Rolex
Pot belly protruding
disgusting
Splashing around

Hey David good to see you too
You look at me..but the look is gone
Go get your buzzing phone
Go play your game
Truly a shame

I swim away..





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