Fall Haiku

 Grey skies and soft light.

Yellow leaves against red brick.

Green fades to Fall hues.

Pulling a Splinter

 There's something primal about pulling out a splinter.

An all consuming activity that while is not necessary for survival,

represents a reminder that the natural world is still frought with danger.

All other activities must cease,

the pulling of the splinter is the most crucial action of the moment.

Meditative, surgical, satisfying.

Perhaps it reminds us of picking lice,

it is an activity of ultimate self care,

one that has been around as long as human beings

have been walking upright and picking up things made out of wood.

à la Tragédie

 Francais

Je ne suis pas étranger à la tragédie.

Au contraire,

elle est restée ma maîtresse la plus fidèle et la plus constante

en dehors de cette vie à laquelle je suis marié,

de ce corps, de ce destin, de cette âme

pour m'accompagner jusqu'à la mort.

C'est vers elle, vers la tragédie que je fuis

quand les exigences de la vie deviennent insupportables,

quand le bonheur lui-même devient une corvée.

English

I am not a stranger to tragedy. 

On the contrary, 

she has remained my most faithful and constant mistress 

outside of this life to which I am married, 

of this body, of this destiny, of this soul 

to accompany me until death. 

It is towards her, towards tragedy that I flee 

when the demands of life become unbearable, 

when happiness itself becomes a chore.