Passing of a Legend

On August 23rd, Maynard Ferguson, one of my favorite jazz musicians, passed away. I was fortunate enough to catch him in concert on a few occasions- he played a mean trumpet, and had a knack for coming up with a great band, as well as great arrangements. He also wrote and performed the theme from Rocky. So we'll miss you, Maynard! Apart from that, it's pretty much business (or lack thereof) as usual- I'll try to keep up posting more often. Hope everyone's doing great.

Bronze Angels

The bronze angels’
armor plating long since
lost its sheen, gone to green and silence,
faces worn to anonymity’s rust
what new
dusty scenes dug from your alcoves
Where are our ashes in this wall of remembrance?
Another year, another memory- last week’s flowers already
fading fast- I still replace them, a
thankless vigil, to do it for you is
reason enough

The Good Doctor

I noticed another comment from an anonymous poster- yes, I did see Atomic Cafe, but was more inspired by Dr. Strangelove and Fail Safe than anything else, as well as the book The Fate of the Earth by Jonathan Schell. (Recommended viewing/reading, apart from the peacenik aspect, these were really enjoyable films). The fact that we (the US) had to resort to atomic bombing is not something to be proud of, I think. Though I was once asked, "What about Adolf Hitler? Do you think that the war declared against the Axis powers was unjust?" That's a tough one- ultimately, I think, the greater good was served- ideally, we would have a world where war was passe- irrelevant, as all people would be peaceful- with liberty and justice for all- isn't that what we founded this country on? All means everyone, not those people we happen to like at the time. I have a brother-in-law as well as a cousin in the armed forces, both whom I have a great amount of respect for. To fight for a cause you believe in is a noble aim- my dad taught me that. Although he didn't really believe in the war in Vietnam, the draft was on. He could have headed north, to Canada, but instead chose to follow Plato's philosophy- if we have the priveleges of citizenship, we also assume the responsibilities. I am unsure whether he realized it or not, but this has stuck with me for all these years. It was a long time growing up before I ever knew that about my dad, that he fought in Vietnam as a medic, and how really messed up the whole situation was. And now, I hear my brother-in-law home from serving in Afghanistan and Iraq in the Marines saying largely the same things, and it makes me think that there must be a better answer than war. Call me a pipe dreamer, but I sincerely hope that some day we can all live together in peace, each one learning from each other, like it says in the Bible. (Jeremiah 31:34). But in the meantime, looks like there's a lot to do.

Human Alchemy

I recently happened to catch a show in the wee hours (occasional insomnia sometimes has its upside) that got me thinking. It was an anime show, Full Metal Alchemist. (I don't get it either). The show apparently centers around two young brothers who are versed in alchemy- alchemy is the pseudo-science of transmuting baser metals into gold. There are actual alchemical books in existence, most notably the Corpus Hermeticum and the Definitions of Hermes Trismegistus to Asclepius. I read through both of them a long while ago- they have no formulae or recipes for changing matter, however they deal with something much more abstract. The real goal of alchemy is to change the self- man can move from a baser state to a higher one through learning about himself. Not that this has a great deal to do with the anime show, but it was kind of cool. Anyway, the point being that this really hit home for me- kind of like old St. Paul said- "We will all be transformed." I've often (probably rightly) been accused of a lack of faith, requiring some degree of proof, or at least logic. I don't think this is incompatible with spirituality. If there is an order to creation, (and there seems to be- the odds of the universe we have arising out of pure chaos is astronomically small, no pun intended) this then implies purpose and/or design. From this comes an order either inherent in the world or imposed from without on otherwise chaotic matter. I tend to think that the order was somehow made inherent in the created world, as stable systems tend to develop out of chaos in real world scenarios, like an ecosystem, or all the crud I cleaned out of the pool. Probably an ecosystem in itself... But the point being, if there is this inherent order, there must be a God, or something like it/him/her/whatever. And perhaps, with the science and reason we higher life forms were given, we can come to a knowledge of that. The problem of concrete proof lies in proving a negative- you cannot prove God does not exist, as you cannot prove I do not have three heads and eat puppies three meals a day. If such an allegation is made, the burden of proof lies in proving that these things are true, not false. But there are multiple explanations for God's existence, due solely to the absence of proof. (Which is not proof of absence, as the saying goes.) So I suppose ultimately it will come down to your own experience, and what you believe based on your own experience. And so the crisis of faith continues-wish me luck!
On the Miskatonic Medical School Campus

The buildings look inspiring,
pushed together, and
even awesome-what
goes on inside?
Chest crackings, organs
transplanted- powder gloved hands
Imbued with skill-
Outside the gentle old man
walks across the grass, muttering
to himself

The Unkindest Cut of All

Well, it's another nice day- the heat has held off, but my lawn is turning yellow from lack of rain. My folks just got back from Prince Edward Island, where there was a big family reunion going on. I would have liked to go, but didn't think I could get the time off from work. Ironic. The pictures I saw looked really nice- I'll definitely have to get up there sometime. The soil is a weird reddish-brown color everywhere. The color isn't weird, so much as it's so consistent. All the dirt looks the same! Here in CT there's sand, loam, loose soil, and so on. Not that I spend a huge amount of time contemplating dirt. I haven't had much opportunity to go out running as of late- I managed to fall down the cellar stairs. Nothing serious, but it was literally a pain in the tail. I was going down the stairs and slipped, resulting in an unexpected seat halfway down the staircase. Talk about the worst places to hurt yourself! I found I could still get up, and move around stiffly- nothing broken or overly damaged, but it hurt like hell. After peeling the paint with a string of inspired profanity, I found I was a little too sore to move too fast, let alone run. Genetics has been less than generous in this regard, so the old bones took a bit of a beating, but all is pretty much well. I think I'll have to try getting out for a hike this weekend.
Trouble

Breakfast table-trouble
in a teacup, seeming
less significant now than
yesterday, already
fading to sepia tones
less ominous,
running down the drain, I
hear it rattling through miles of
pipes, washing out
to the ocean- it
all comes back in the end
digested, broken down ,
soaked into earth