- see the 49-minute Roundtable on video at FORA.tv –

Has your game been rained out? Have storms or floods forced you indoors, too? Are you looking for a family- or workplace- safe video to watch at your computer this afternoon? Well, I suggest the 49-minute video of the Base Haiku Roundtable, from the Chautauqua Institution (June 26, 2008), available free online from FORA.tv.

I just discovered FORA.tv today (thanks to Ed Markowski), and it is a Prolific Playground for the Pensive Procrastinator. As they say on their About page:

FORA.tv delivers discourse, discussions and debates on the world’s most interesting political, social and cultural issues, and enables viewers to join the conversation. It provides deep, unfiltered content, tools for self-expression and a place for the interactive community to gather online.

After you’ve watched the Baseball Haiku video, savor some of the poems again, with this reprise from our June 28th recap of the Roundtable:

summer loneliness . . .
dropping the pop up
i toss to myself

… by Ed Markowski - Baseball Haiku (2007); pop up (tribe press, 2004)

biking to the field
under a cloudless sky
my glove on the handlebars

…. by Cor van den Heuvel - Baseball Haiku (2007) and Play Ball (Red Moon Press 1999)

at the produce stand
a kid with a baseball
plays catch with the awning

…. by Al Pizzarelli - from Baseball Haiku (2007); The Windswept Corner (2005)

rainy night
a hole in the radio
where a ballgame should be

…. by Ed Markowski - Baseball Haiku (2007); Games (2004)

Cor & Ed at the Roundtable (by Sara Etten)

through the blue sky
the tape-wrapped baseball trails
a black streamer

conference on the mound
the pitcher looks down
at the ball in his hand

..… by Cor van den Heuvel, from Baseball Haiku (2007) and Play Ball (Red Moon Press 1999)

late innings
the shortstop backpedals
into fireflies

summer haze
i pick off
the invisible man on first

“red hots!”
for an instant i’m ten
and
father’s still alive

April rain
my grandson practices
his infield chatter

………………………. by ed markowski - Baseball Haiku (2007)

game over
all the empty seats
turn blue

 

at shortstop
between innings
sparrows dust-bathing

the score keeper
peeks out of the scoreboard
spring rain

 

.. by Al Pizzarelli - from Baseball Haiku (2007)
“score keeper” - The Windswept Corner (2005)
“at shortstop” - Past Time (1999)

One more reminder to check out Ed Markowski’s free online brochure, “American Sports . . . American Haiku” (June 2008; cover), which has two dozen sports haiku and senryu that were compiled to celebrate the Sport in America week at Chautauqua.

“Elihu Root . . . put the matter more simply: ‘About half the practice of a decent lawyer,’ he once said, ‘consists in telling would-be clients that they are damned fools and should stop.’

“Today there are too few lawyers who see it as part of their function to tell clients (especially new clients) that they are damned fools and should stop: Any such statement would interfere with the marketing program. The public pays, because the rule of law is diminished.“

Later in the same chapter, titled “Living the Law,” Linowitz notes:

“The doctrine that professionalism means respect for the client’s ‘autonomy’ and commands doing whatever the client wants is, after all, most convenient. Nobody ever lost a client by doing exactly what the fellow wanted, but much lucrative legal work has been sacrificed by lawyers who regretfully told prospective clients that this was something they were not willing to do.”

Sol’s words and quotations came to mind today, when I saw the Law.com article “Law Firms Held Liable for Fees in ‘Tissue of Lies’ Patent Suit” (New York Law Journal, July 23, 2008). Anthony Lin’s piece begins:

“A federal judge has ordered a patent holder and his lawyers to pay attorney fees for bringing an infringement suit based on ‘nothing more than a tissue of lies’.

Irving Bauer had sued Romag Fasteners Inc., a manufacturer of magnetic snap closures for handbags, for infringing a 1996 patent on a new type of closure he claimed to have invented.

Last week, in Advanced Magnetic Closures Inc. v. Rome Fastener Sales Corp., 98 Civ. 7766, Judge Paul A. Crotty of the Southern District of New York invalidated Irving Bauer’s patent (for magnetic snap closures for handbags), finding that Bauer’s testimony about his inventorship “bore clear indicia of fabrication,” and adding that he was “convinced beyond a shadow of a doubt” that Bauer was no inventor.

Here’s the part of the article that most interested me:

“The judge held New York law firm Abelman, Frayne & Schwab, which initially represented Bauer in his suit against Romag, jointly and severally liable for Romag’s attorney fees after Feb. 11, 2006. That was the earliest date, the judge said, Abelman Frayne should have realized expert testimony the firm planned to use to support Bauer’s claim had been contradicted by testing.

‘By persisting with this claim to trial, Abelman counsel played a central role in so unreasonably and unnecessarily multiplying the proceedings so as to give rise to bad faith litigation,’ the judge said.

Bauer replaced the Abelman firm in August 2007 with David Jaroslawicz of Jaroslawicz & Jaros. The judge held Mr. Jaroslawicz jointly and severally liable for Romag’s costs after Oct. 5, 2007, finding he also should have been aware of the deficiencies of Bauer’s claims.”

Romag’s lawyer, Norman Zivin of Cooper & Dunham in New York, said he had previously requested around $1.2 million in attorney fees, though he said the judge would likely modify that amount.

Judge Crotty’s willingness to hold the lawyers responsible for their opponents’ fees is a welcome change from my last direct experience with frivolousness petitions in 1990 (see my war story for some of the facts). At that time, I specifically asked that opposing counsel be liable for fees after bringing a frivolous claim against my client (which was contrary to the existing police vehicle accident report and their own client’s guilty plea to vehicular manslaughter), and then continuing to maintain the claim for four years, despite expert reports and legal memoranda making it clear they had no valid basis for a claim. [Remember, “frivolous” does not simply mean without merit, it means “without a reasonable basis in fact or law.” See, e.g., Model Rule 3.1]

At the time, opposing counsel were outraged that I would ask that they be held responsible. The judge granted my motion for fees, saying that commencing the action was “irresponsible and frivolous,” and the failure to discontinue it compounded their bad faith. Nonetheless, he directed that the client corporation and individual pay our fees and costs, without even mentioning my request concerning their lawyers.

Root and Linowitz are clearly right: It is the lawyer’s job to say no when a client wants to press a frivolous claim, or when the lawyer is tempted sua sponte to make a baseless claim in order to curry favor with a client. The mere fact that saying no might lose you a client, or anger one, is not a good enough reason to go along. Lawyers are gatekeepers, with important responsibilities to the courts and the public. Seeing that Bauer’s lawyers might have to pay $1 million in fees should have a major deterrent effect on the rest of the Bar. It should.

The sole poem that I posted three years ago today gives me another idea for deterring cases like Bauer-Romaq:

in the misty day
no window can be seen…
a prison

 

……. by Kobayashi ISSA, translated by D.G. Lanoue

This one from one year ago today suggests another party we might want to intervene when confronted with such a “tissue of lies:”

thunder . . .
little leaguers chatter
silenced

……………………. by Randy Brooks - Baseball Haiku (2007)

These don’t seem to be related in law or fact, but are worth reprising from July 23, 2007:

mountain butterfly
from her boulder
to mine

moonrise . . .
cattle single file through
the narrow pasture gate

early morning cool
men in hard hats gather
on the last patch of grass

tongue out
the boy guides a new airplane
round and round

……………………. by Randy Brooks
“early morning cool” - the loose thread: rma 2001; Modern Haiku XXXII:1;
“moonrise . . .” - the loose thread: rma 2001; tundra 2
“mountain butterfly” - a glimpse of red: RMA 2000; Modern Haiku XXXI:2

“But this picture, harmless as it might appear, is giving the public the mistaken and even dangerous impression that chimpanzees have a safe and comfortable existence — and nothing could be further from the truth.” And,

“A progressive society should weigh the moral costs and benefits of practices like these. Misrepresentations of chimpanzees may not be as repugnant as racism, bigotry or sexism. But they can still serve as a benchmark for our society’s moral progress.”

“. . . The good news is that a growing number of companies, including Honda, Puma and Subaru, have pledged to stop the use of primates in advertisements.”

Yikes. I’m sorry Dr. Ross, but there are far too many important things to worry about on this planet of ours to fret over “misrepresented” chimpanzees. I can’t take your argument seriously enough to work up a cogent response. (Ditto for the post at Animal Person yesterday “On Speciesism and Animal Actors.”) But, I will say that it has never crossed my mind that pictures of cute pandas, peaceful dolphins or grinning chimpanzees meant their species were all thriving and safe — and I can’t imagine why you’d think [reasonably thoughtful] members of our species would have that illogical reaction.

evening loon call –
nothing makes it
call again

.. by Gary Hotham - from Missed Appointment (Lilliput Review, Modest Proposal Chapbooks 2007)

I’m pleased, however, that Ross’ piece got me to Google my favorite childhood chimp, Cheeta, to see how he’s doing. In 2006, I wished the co-star of a dozen Tarzan movies, and oldest living nonhuman primate, a happy 74th birthday. Today, I want to congratulate Cheeta (that’s him at the head of this paragraph and of this posting) for getting a star on the Hollywood Walk Of Fame earlier this month. (See The Mirror.co.uk, August 7, 2008). And, we can celebrate Cheeta’s latest comeback, at 76 — appearing in a new video of the hit country music song “Convoy,” which can be downloaded from iTunes.

window window–
the child pressing against
the rain

flashing ambulance lights–
rain still filling
every puddle

…… by Gary Hotham - Missed Appointment

Greenfield’s Bullish on Tasers: We don’t usually look to criminal lawyer Scott Greenfield of the Simple Justice weblog for investment tips. But, today we find Scott touting Taser International (July 21, 2008).

“As the stories of police using tasers in lieu of thinking become legion, there can be only one smart move: invest. Jonathon Turley posts about the latest taser target: [a blind Ohio woman with cancer)]”

It seems to me, however, that private citizens, not law enforcement, are going to fuel the growth in Taser sales over the next few years — and that scares me more than the continuing Taser abuse by police. Some real stock experts agree (see “Taser misfires but Still Has Potential,” The Street.com, by Tom Au, April 16, 2007):

“Electric stun-gun maker Taser International(TASR - Cramer’s Take - Stockpickr) seems more of a venture capital play than a conventional stock play on the basis of company’s recent earnings and news.”

That’s because:

“Taser is also planning to shift its marketing strategy, following the strong reception its new pocket-sized C2 personal protector received at January’s Consumer Electronics Show and the resulting favorable media coverage. The company now hopes to sell more of its products, including the C2, to individual consumers as well as to members of the ’self defense’ and private security markets rather than law enforcement agencies.”

. . . “[I]n the wake of its earnings report, the company may appeal more to those of a venture capitalist bent than the private investor, which is why my position is smaller than usual. Taser has a bunch of scientifically innovative products that potentially address a major need: preventing more Virginia Tech (and smaller-scale) shootings. Depending on societal acceptance, the market could be huge.” “

Yes, it’s shocking. One online seller of Tasers declares:

The TASER can be used more effectively and safely with less training than other self-defense technologies.

LEGAL TO CARRY

TASER devices are not considered firearms. They can be legally carried (concealed or open) without permit required in 43 states.

Indeed, “The TASER X26C series [available for $999.99] offers the highest take-down power available. With advanced new Shaped Pulse technology, the TASER X26C provides Electro-Muscular Disruption (EMD) technology which . . . debilitates the toughest targets, without causing injury or lasting after-effects.” Still not convinced Taser is for you and those you love? Remember:

“TASER technology has been available to citizens concerned with self-defense for over a decade. Unlike conventional weapons, TASER is effective with a hit anywhere on the body. To be effective for self-defense, bullets risk more lethal consequences, striking the head or vital organs. Similarly, chemical or pepper sprays must hit an assailant in the face � a much less reliable alternative in fast moving confrontations. And, in a windy environment, sprays can be blown back onto the user.”

For now, I’m glad to be living in New York, as “TASER is not available for private citizen defense in DC, HI, MA, MI, NJ, NY, RI, & WI.” But, recent Supreme Court action on the 2nd Amendment suggests they’ll soon be available legally everywhere. So, as Scott says: “there can be only one smart move: invest [in Taser]” — and never leave home.

Enough monkey business ’round here. How about a few more selections from Missed Appointment by Gary Hotham?

snow covering things
we see every day –
the fortune left in the cookie

farewell dinner–
more hot coffee poured
into what’s let

long after sunset–
darkness not stopping the odor
of fallen leaves

…… by Gary Hotham - Missed Appointment (Lilliput Review, Modest Proposal Chapbooks 2007)

I first heard of NetDebt on June 9th, when they tried to plant a link from f/k/a to their affiliated weblog, in order to increase NetDebt’s online profile. When the Comment showed up for “moderation,” my response was: “I just looked at your ‘NetDebt’ web site and have many questions about your services — especially the fees. Until I get a chance to review it more fully, I do not want a link from this weblog to yours, and have removed your URL.”

Having now looked more deeply into NetDebt, I want to present my continuing concerns about their fees — which are 15% of the amount of debt you bring to their program (regardless of results or the number of creditors it must deal with), plus a “small” monthly service fee of $50.

For example, the so-called “flat” 15 % fee would be $1500 if you have $10,000 of debt in the program; $3000 for $20,000 of debt; $6000 in fees for a $40,000 debt load. The $50 monthly service fee quickly adds up, too, and would add another $2700, if you stay in their program the full 54 months.)

Although many debt negotiators make no mention of the cost of their services at their websites, it appears that similar percentage-based fees have become common among debt settlement firms. (See, for example here and there) Despite the traditional lawyer reluctance to talk about excessive fees, I hope that legal ethics counsel or professors, other lawyers, and consumer advocates will help us determine if or when such fees are “reasonable” or appropriate for lawyers to charge. At a time when many in the legal profession are promoting the use of “alternative” and “value-based” fees instead of hourly billing — while offering so little guidance on how to make the switch in an ethically-responsible manner — it would be especially useful to hear what standards or criteria they believe should be applied to prevent excessive fees under our professional and fiduciary principles. My assumption is that “what the market may bear” is not an appropriate test for protecting consumers — especially unsophisticated ones in dire economic straits — from unreasonably high legal fees.

There are many voices on the internet warning about “debt settlement scams” and the money wasted due to the high fees. [For example, this post at the ZipDebt Blog, and this article.] An article from SmartMoney.com, “Debt Settlement Could Cost More Than You Think” (June 20, 2007), gives an excellent summary. SmartMoney says, “Debt settlement is, in fact, a perfectly legal solution for consumers who are in deep and seeking an alternative to bankruptcy. But having a debt-settlement company do the legwork for you is fraught with risk, not to mention outrageous fees.”

Still, unless the purveyors are engaged in actual fraud or deception, regulators can’t do much about non-lawyers charging excessive fees for a questionable service that exploits desperate people, beyond providing information and warnings. However, the legal profession can hold lawyers to a higher standard and should require lawyers engaged in debt settlement to charge only reasonable fees. As with many similar easy-money schemes, my guess is that the services would not be offered by members of the Bar, if only a fair price could be charged.

(more…)

at the bus stop
our backs to the wind
the sunrise changes color

… by gary hotham - breathmarks: haiku to read in the dark

[go here for more of our wind haiku]

. .

brand this! Over at Ed’s Blawg Review, I see that Blawg Review #169 will be hosted on Monday, July 21, by Whisper, a weblog about brand strategy (which, honest, they call B.S.) — and which is “founded on one big idea: ‘The key to any effective marketing, branding or advertising effort is to change and take ownership of the conversation’.” For a contrarian perspective on branding and lawyers (that continues to believe clients are king and should own the conversation, while lawyers are mere shield-bearing esquires), you might want to check out a few posts from the early days of ethicalEsq:

• “Brand LEX” (April 3, 2004) “None of this is reassuring or inspiring — earning your client’s trust so that you can charge him and her more. Rather non-fiducial, don’t you think?“
• “Another Lap Around Law Firm Branding” (April 11, 2004) “How does the law client benefit from this expensive branding campaign? Is getting “a friend” who shares your love of motor-racing advantageous to the “upset” personal injury client? The DUI defendant?”
• “lawyers and cashews (and premium pricing)” (June 9, 2006) “Fiduciaries don’t manipulate clients to reduce their price sensitivity. Period.”

update (July 21, 2008): For a good list of last week’s best blawg posts, see the thoughtful Blawg Review #169 at Whisper, where f/k/a got two pointers and a nice compliment, despite our curmudgeonly stance on law firm branding. To their query of how this baby boomer “gets all the energy for his creative poetry and erudite punditry,” I can only offer these tips: Borrow lots of haiku from your friends; take lot of naps; don’t have much of a life.

she comes back–
the ocean drips off
every part of her

…………… by gary hotham- breathmarks

Environmental Inspiration: Read “Visionary of the Visayan Sea” (Harvard Law Bulletin, Summer 2008), to learn about the decades of work (often despite physical danger) by Philippine lawyer Antonio Oposa, fighting to protect marine habitat. In 1993, he helped win the right to sue on behalf of future generations, in the case Minors Oposa v. Factoran, where the high court said:

“Needless to say, every generation has a responsibility to the next to preserve that rhythm and harmony for the full enjoyment of a balanced and healthful ecology. Put a little differently, the minors’ assertion of their right to a sound environment constitutes, at the same time, the performance of their obligations to ensure the protection of that right for the generations to come.”

huge trees in the park–
a different dog
chasing the stick

… by gary hotham - the heron’s nest (April 2001)

Who’s A Narcissist? With the label being thrown around a lot lately, today’s New York Times looks at what it takes to be a true narcissist, “Here’s Looking at Me, Kid” (July 20, 2008) In case you didn’t already know:

“Many people are condescending and self-involved, but they may not necessarily be narcissistic. Therapists say that to affix the label, the trait or the diagnosis, one must spend considerable time with the person. Determining that someone is a narcissist, Professor Ames added, ‘is not something you can gauge from television’.”

the mirror
wiped clean
for a guest

………………… by John Stevenson from Quiet Enough (Red Moon Press, 2004)

open window
I polish a mirror
from my childhood home

……….. by peggy willis lyles - FreeXpressSion, February 2007

white lie
the mirror doubles
the white chrysanthemum

………… Roberta Beary - from Fish in Love (2006)

What did we learn in Law School? Prof. Daryl Levinson won the Sacks-Freund Teaching Award this year at Harvard Law School. See “On accepting Sacks Freund Award, Levinson reminds students what they learned in law school” (June 12, 2008). Prof. Levinson says he appreciates “brilliant, demanding, opinionated, contrarian, and relentless” law students. In case they forgot what they had learned, Levinson offered a “review session” of the “ten ideas that explain virtually all of law.” Click that link to watch a webcast of Levinson’s Class Day remarks. The article tells us:

Levinson proceeded to help the graduates “recollect [the] three years of knowledge” they learned in law school. Joking that “class participation is how [we] stretch these few minutes of material out to three years,” he touched upon some of the major themes of the law, including rules vs. standards, collective action problems, and agency.

dead silence
the senior partner
has another senior moment

…. dagosan

rattle, whir, hum –
three-fan
august night

. . . by dagosan
“old dog” - Legal Studies Forum XXIX:1 (2005)
“rattle, whir” - Nisqually Delta Review (summer/fall issue 2006)

Given the weather forecast for Schenectady, the f/k/a Gang will be seeking shade, air conditioning and breezes this weekend. As mentioned yesterday, we’ve collected nearly a hundred wind/breeze haiku for you, written by our talented family of Honored Guest Poets. Here are a few for those too listless to click the link:

a shut-off notice
flaps in the wind–
midwinter

autumn wind —
a leaf and homeless man
cross paths

…………………… by Andrew Riutta
“a shut-off notice” - Shiki Monthly Kukai (Jan. 2006)

sultry breeze
she teaches me to whistle
with a blade of grass

………………………………… by ed markowski

wind-rippled pond –
bright whirligigs twirl
in all directions

. . . by Billie Wilson - Haiku Harvest (Spring 2001)

warm city wind
cherry blossoms filling
the potholes

ladybug descending
this windwhipt blade of grass
last blaze of sun

………….. by Pamela Miller Ness
“warm city wind” - Haiku Canada Newsletter XIII:3 (June 2000)
“ladybug descending” - Summerday, Puget Sound sequence

fierce wind
street sweeper has
another coffee

… by George Swede - from Almost Unseen (2000)

p.s. Cop Mugs Starbucks: Whether you take your coffee hot or iced this weekend, take the time to check out the story of a Daytona Beach police lieutenant who took free coffee for years (sometimes six times a day) from a Starbucks — and then threatened retaliation when the new shop manager refused any more freebies. Scott Greenfield covers it at Simple Justice in “Cop, Coffee and Crime” (July 18, 2008); and see Jonathan Turley’s “Don’t Tazerberry Me, Bro.” Scott reminds us that there’s nothing funny about this kind of police extortion., recalling the NYC Knapp Commission.

See “Cuomo investigating alleged ‘dirty tricks’ in local windmill projects: Two WNY companies under investigation” (Buffalo News, by Maki Becker and Tom Precious July 16, 2008); “Wind Farms Face Investigation” (Wall Street Journal, July 16, 2008); “Wind farm deals under investigation” (Business First, July 14, 2008); and “Cuomo: Celebrate but Still Investigate Alternative Energy Sources,” (Legal Line News.com, July 16, 2008)

According to its July 15, 2008 press release, Cuomo’s office has received numerous complaints from private citizens and public officials in eight counties alleging “improper relations between the companies and local officials” and other questionable practices. The allegations include accusations that the companies improperly sought or obtained land-use agreements with public officials and the officials’ relatives and acquaintances; gave bribes and other improper benefits to public officials; and entered into anti-competitive agreements or practices.

Subpoenas have been sent to First Wind/UPC Wind and Noble Environmental Power, LLC. In his statement, AG Cuomo stressed that “The use of wind power, like all renewable energy sources, should be encouraged to help clean our air and end our reliance on fossil fuels.” However:

“[P]ublic integrity remains a top priority of my office and if dirty tricks are used to facilitate even clean-energy projects, my office will put a stop to it,” he said.

By the way, as the AG states, “Wind farms are clusters of large electricity-generating turbines powered by wind and connected to the electric grid.” The Buffalo News article, “‘dirty tricks’ in local windmill projects,” has the fullest coverage so far of the investigation.

In his “Frequently Asked Legal Questions About Wind Farms” (orig. pub. The Daily Record, Rochester, NY, June 30, 2005), East Aurora, NY, attorney Arthur J. Giacalone [note: your editor’s brother] has this FAQ about conflicts of interest in the local decision-making process:

Q: Conflicts of Interest:. Do any of the local decision-makers have a conflict of interest requiring recusal from discussions and votes on matters relating to wind farm development?

A: In a various towns throughout upstate New York, elected and appointed officials (or members of their families) have been or will be approached by wind farm developers and offered option agreements or long-term lease or easement agreements to place wind turbine facilities on their land. The payments offered in these contracts clearly create a situation where local officials have, or could potentially have, a direct or indirect pecuniary interest in decisions the town makes, or chooses not to make, regarding wind farm development.

New York courts have stressed how critical it is that the public be assured that their officials are free to exercise their best judgment without any hint or suggestion of self-interest or partiality, especially if a matter under consideration is particularly controversial. Failure of town officials to openly address potential conflicts of interest undermines the people’s confidence in the legitimacy of the proceedings and the integrity of the municipal government. Decisions tainted by even the appearance of a conflict of interest are also vulnerable to reversal in a subsequent court challenge.

National Wind Watch — which offers a brochure brochure detailing alleged adverse effects from industrial wind power — has good coverage of wind power issues and news, and has posted the Attorney General’s Press Release announcing the New York wind farm investigation.

Finally, forget windy controversy, and enjoy over 90 haiku on the f/k/a haiku on the wind page. Here is a sampler:

wind change
the tumbleweed now chases
the kitten

. . . by George Swede - - Almost Unseen (2000)

withering wind…
the scarecrow’s jacket
fits

… by ed markwoski

the narrow place
between my neck and my collar
November wind

. . . by DeVar Dahl - A Piece of Egg Shell, Snapshot Press Haiku Calendar 2003

autumn wind –
trying to keep myself
under my hat

… by John Stevenson - Upstate Dim Sum (2005/I)

sharp wind
the metal gate bangs shut
bangs shut

.. by jim kacian - Presents of Mind (1996)

loud wind–
the bed unmade
all day

. . . by gary hotham - - breathmarks (1999)

summer stillness
the play of light and shadow
on the windchimes

.. by peggy willis lyles - To Hear the Rain (Brooks Books, 2002)

the pinwheel stops
grandpa catches
his breath

… by randy brooks - from School’s Out (Press Here, 1999)

farewell picnic –
wind blows the blossoms
off the dogwoods

… by dagosan - - Haiku Harvest (Spring & Summer 2006 Vol. 6 No. 1)

p.s. RuN It Up ThE FlaGpole muses over who to trust when it comes to information about the dangers of windmills.

Ultimate proof of his status atop Mt. Mondegreen comes in a YouTube clip called “Birthday Greetings from Joe Cocker, Woodstock 1969,” with Joe Cocker singing “A Little Help from My Friends” . It includes captioning and clipart “for the clear-headed,” who might not otherwise catch all of the mondegreens. Thanks to Schenectady-Albany radio host Don Weeks, of WGY.com for presenting this merry-maker.

I laughed so much watching Cocker’s Woodstock video (in fact, even more the second time and with a friend), that I’m imbedding below a YouTube clip for the very first time at f/k/a, to help spread the Modegreenian fun.

Warning: Last night, I got a tummy ache from laughing at this clip. Disclaimer: You might not even smile (but that would be sad indeed).

Click to see a more conventional attempt to transcribe Cocker’s actual rendition of the song “A Little Help from My Friends.” Also, read and compare the “official” lyrics to the Beatles’ song. Then, check out the uncaptioned YouTube version, and make up a few Mondegreens of your own.

crackling beach fire —
we hum in place of words
we can’t recall

… by Michael Dylan Welch - The Heron’s Nest (Dec. 2004)

You can learn much more about Joe Cocker at his official website, which has a discography and information on his charitable work for Cocker’s Kids. At 64-years old, Joe Cocker is still doing a lot of touring. His official biography is “Joe Cocker: With A Little Help from My Friends,” by J.P. Bean (2003).

first date
she keeps humming
“All Right Now”

… by dagosan [click for video of Bad Company performing “All Right Now.” Any good misheard lyrics in there?]

According to the Associated Press, in “N.J. towns’ sex-offender residency limits rejected” (AP/MSNBC.com, July 15, 2008):

“New Jersey towns cannot ban sex offenders from living near schools, parks, or other places where children gather, a state appeals court ruled on Tuesday.

“The three-judge panel found that New Jersey’s Megan’s Law was ‘pervasive and comprehensive’ and should be the only law governing how sex offenders are treated. The ruling upheld findings by judges who invalidated ordinances in Cherry Hill and Galloway townships.”

In its decision, the appellate court stated:

(more…)

Now do you get it? (Big Hint: note the inserted “winkie” emoticons in red.) Yes, Barry Blitt’s July 21, 2008 New Yorker Obama cover portrays and satirizes “The Politics of Hate” and Fear.

As Monica Guzman at the Seattle Post-Intelligencer’s Big Blog (”The trouble with satire,” July 14, 2008), notes: “The New Yorker is no right-wing rag; the cover is meant to satirize the notion that Obama is all those things he has had to repeat he isn’t - Muslim, pro-terrorist, unpatriotic - capped off with the fist tap heard around the world. . . . [Censoring it to avoid its misinterpretation or mis-use] risks a dumbing down of our more complex messages. And maybe that would be ceding too much ground to fools.”

 

 

Prof. Yabut and the entire f/k/a Gang has for years been bemoaning our emoticonally-addicted, insight-challenged society’s inability to discern satire when they see it or hear it. We’ve also decried the related, knee-jerk, low-EQ application of Political Correctness Bans (PCBs) to anything that might offend anybody (particularly on the Left). On the other hand, the Editor has steadfastly maintained a No Emoticon Zone for this weblog and our personal correspondence. As a result, f/k/a had to post a set of Implied Disclaimers (which include PMS — Pardon My Satire), and often worried about misinterpreted email.

As noted in my Comment at The Legal Underground weblog in December 2004:

I am always amazed at otherwise intelligent people who believe that the writer of satire condones the conduct described. I guess we live in a world where authors [and cartoonists] need to use lots of emoticons to keep the readers in tune.

The whole media universe is covering the July 21, 2008 New Yorker cover, so we need not add much more to the discussion. See, e.g., “Obama and the New Yorker” (MSNBC.com, July 15, 2008); “Satirical or Offensive, you decide” (NPR, July 15, 2008); AP/WaPo Video clip; also, “Want Obama in a Punch Line? First Find a Joke” (New York Times, Bill Carer, July 15, 2008). If you have not yet heard the npr interview with David Remnick, “New Yorker editor defends Obama Cover” (All Things Considered, July 14, 2008), it’s highly recommended, as is “It’s Funny How Humor Is So Ticklish,” (Washington Post, by Phillip Kennicott, July 15, 2008), and Ann Althouse’s “why can’t we joke about Obama?” (July 15, 2008).

FYI: The Huffington Post tells us:

The magazine explains at the start of its news release previewing the issue: “On the cover of the July 21, 2008, issue of the The New Yorker, in ‘The Politics of Fear,’ artist Barry Blitt satirizes the use of scare tactics and misinformation in the Presidential election to derail Barack Obama’s campaign.”

Just to prove how important the issue is, I’ve broken my no-emoticon pledge, using what we call the “winkie” [;-)] to help folks understand that the cover is satire. We don’t expect to change lots of minds, but we do hope to change one — that of Barack Obama.

Dear Barack,

I’m a supporter of yours, so I hope you’ll take this constructive advice in the spirit it is given.

Please call off your PC Police. Maybe your campaign can get away with being hyper-sensitive and vigilant about what you yourselves say — making sure you don’t offend others with your words or posture. But, please, don’t use the same standard for words and images aimed at or depicting you — especially when they are in fact good satire that make important points in support of your candidacy.

The New Yorker cover is not “tasteless and offensive.” The Guardian says you simply shrugged your shoulders when asked about the image, but then your “spokespersons” got on their PC high-horses and condemned it. You need to muzzle your staff. Whiners aren’t winners. For a real Mensch with a high EQ, taking a punch should include taking a Punch-like cartoon.

Now, get out there and win this election!

s/ David Giacalone and the f/k/a Gang

afterwords (2 PM, July 15): See “Obama Releases List of Approved Jokes About Himself” (The Borowitz Report, July 15, 2008). Unfortunately, most of the audience of my local public radio station, WAMC in Albany, NY, appears to have little sense of humor or appreciation for Free Speech and the uses of satire.

update (July 16, 2008): In “Barack Obama tries to repair a PR blunder, but 2 days too late,” Andrew Malcolm makes some telling comments, at the LA Times political weblog, Top of the Ticket. After noting, “We’re now in Day Three of discussing the magazine cover that Obama didn’t want many to see,” Malcolm quotes Obama on the Larry King Show last night:

“Well, I know it was the New Yorker’s attempt at satire. I don’t think they were entirely successful with it. But you know what? It’s a cartoon, Larry, and that’s why we’ve got the 1st Amendment.

“And I think the American people are probably spending a little more time worrying about what’s happening with the banking system and the housing market, and what’s happening in Iraq and Afghanistan, than a cartoon. So I haven’t spent a lot of time thinking about it.”

Malcolm concludes:

“Smart stuff. Too late. Imagine what else we might all be talking about this morning if that had been the campaign’s opening response Sunday.”

On a similar note, see Maureen Dowd ’s column in today’s New York Times, “May we mock, Barack,” (July 16, 2008). Dowd mentions the suggestion from James Rainey in The Los Angeles Times of “an irony deficiency” in Obama and his fans. She concludes” “Bring it on, Ozone Democrats! Because if Obama gets elected and there is nothing funny about him, it won’t be the economy that’s depressed. It will be the rest of us.”

update (June 19, 2008): In this week’s edition of our local [NY Capital Region] “alternative” newspaper, Metroland, Jo Page has an insightful Reckonings column about the Obama Cover, titled “Looney Tunes” (Vol. 31, No. 29, July 17, 2008). Jo wonders “What is it about cartoons,” and asks:

“Are Americans really so dense that we won’t ‘get’ the cover? Is our collective sense of judgment really so occluded by an insistence on literalism that we won’t recognize that not only is this not ‘tasteless and offensive’ to the Obama campaign, it in fact makes the opposite point: What is tasteless and offensive are the tactics used to create doubt about Obama’s American allegiance.”

Under the question “Is subtlety lost on us?”, she concludes:

“I’m not yet ready to believe that just because content and context are parted so frequently—news bites excised from the whole of the story time and time again—that Americans have little or no capacity to comprehend satire or understand subtlety.

“As of this writing, Barack Obama himself has made no comment. Let’s hope he keeps it that way and keeps faith in the America that gets and loves the heritage of its satirists . . .”

mother’s email
X’s after
the :-)

……………………… Hilary Tann - Upstate Dim Sum

empty bottle
a few words
I would like to take back

……………………… by John Stevenson - Quiet Enough (2004)

twilight
the words of his letter
darker and darker

……………………….. by Roberta Beary - Woodnotes #29; A New Resonance 2

………. by Matt Morden - Morden Haiku

It was so hot and humid on Bastille Day 2006, we offered distractions in the form of fireflies and breezes. This year, the weather was darn nice for July 14th. In fact, too nice to do much more than offer a reprise this evening. Here are a few from 2006; find more from some of our favorite guest haijin at the post “of breezes and fireflies.”

prairie breeze–
the girl’s ponytail
as she rides a horse

heat wave–
the cow’s udder
hangs in the pond

… by DeVar Dahl - “prairie breeze” - Shiki Monthly Kukai (Jan. 2006)
“heat wave” - from Basho Mem. Museum (English selections, 2005)

wilting hay -
thermals shift a kite
from row to row

… by matt morden - “ Morden Haiku (June 17, 2006)

the third-note rise
of a towhee’s song
fragrant breeze

… by peggy willis lyles - To Hear the Rain

a softly blowing
world-improving breeze…
fireflies flit

…. by kobayashi issa, translated by David G. Lanoue

A year ago today, we celebrated Bastille Day with ten poems from Laryalee Fraser. Here are a pair, and I suggest you check out the rest of them right here.

paint brush –
my breath moves
a spider

windsong…
the deep bow
of a willow

…………………………………. by Laryalee Fraser from Simply Haiku (Vol. 5:2, Summer 2007)

p.s. While we snoozed in our hypothetical hammock, Dr. Bill Owen was working today at his Haiku Notebook, offering this one-liner:

midday heat we sit in the shade before heading back

… by w.f. owen - Haiku Notebook (July 14, 2008)

- Mohawk River, July 4, 2008, from Riverside Park, Schenectady, NY (photo: D. Giacalone)

just past sunset –
faded daylilies
more orange than before

… by dagosan (July 14, 2005)

Wiffle Ball –
a windblown home run
over the neigbor’s Rambler

— by Michael Ketchek - Baseball Haiku (edited, with translations, by Cor van den Heuvel and Nanae Tamura, W.W. Norton Press, April 2007)

You see, a group of “remarkable” teens turned an overgrown lot in and owned by Greenwich, Connecticut, into a Wiffle Ball Stadium. As their local newspaper Greenwich Time noted in an editorial (”We ought to give the kids a break,” 07/09/2008 ):

“About 10 to 15 teens spent three weeks clearing the lot of dense thickets and erecting plywood fences in the outfield, including a replica of Fenway’s Green Monster. They painted the fences green, put down bases and hung a large American flag from a tree in foul territory down the left field line.”

A great story, but, this being the 3rd Millennium in America, the Greenwich Times notes, “it’s not over until the police, newspapers and lawyers get involved. And we wonder why kids lock themselves in the basement and play video games.” Like Ray Kinsella in Kevin Costner’s movie “Field of Dreams” (1989), they built the field out of love of the game and a sense of fun. However, as the NYT piece explains:

“[A]las, they had no idea just who would come — youthful Wiffle ball players, yes, but also angry neighbors and their lawyer, the police, the town nuisance officer and tree warden and other officials in all shapes and sizes. It turns out that one kid’s field of dreams is an adult’s dangerous nuisance, liability nightmare, inappropriate usurpation of green space, unpermitted special use or drag on property values, and their Wiffle-ball Fenway has become the talk of Greenwich and a suburban Rorschach test about youthful summers past and present.”

My twin brother Arthur is right that “Nearby residents are the ones most directly affected by new development, their property values lowered, privacy invaded, and quality of life diminished by noise and traffic. They have the most to lose, and, therefore, the greatest right to speak out.” He’s also correct to complain that “developers, public officials and members of the media” often engage “in a concerted effort to belittle and silence” disgruntled neighbors, and that:

“The residents are castigated as obstructionists, labeled NIMBYs (Not In My Back Yard), and even called “Un-American”. Developers are portrayed as saints, residents as villains.”

Of course, there is nothing “un-American” about bringing lawsuits against disruptive neighborhood change. As Walter Olson at Overlawyered.com surely will agree, there is nothing more American these days than bringing such suits. Indeed, as Walter said, “This particular dispute, over noisy kids’ recreation in an otherwise quiet neighborhood of famously expensive Greenwich, Connecticut, might have led to legal ramifications in almost any day and age.”

[larger] You may recall that the f/k/a Gang didn’t have a lot of sympathy in this posting (scroll down) for yuppies who are surprised that farms can make smelly and noisy neighbors. Likewise, although the neighbors were there first, after musing over the Greenwich Wiffle Ball rhubarb, I’m siding with the kids and not the unhappy grownups and their lawyers. The GT editorial got it right (as did the many commentors to the piece), “It would be a terrible shame if the end result of this dispute is the field being taken down. What the young people achieved there is remarkable.” Furthermore,

“Selectman Lin Lavery, who is acting as first selectman and police commissioner for the vacationing Peter Tesei, has stepped in as a voice of reason, shelving the town’s initial plan to shut the field down today.

‘I’m going to suggest that we hold off until we talk to everyone and try to reach a compromise,’ she said. Credit her with a stand-up triple.”

“The teens meanwhile have posted rules at the field prohibiting alcohol and swearing. And they say they would be willing to limit the field’s use to certain hours during the daytime.

“Wow! Not only are these kids resourceful and enterprising. They’re reasonable too. How about we adults follow their lead and let them get back to their games?”

Even our cranky Prof. Yabut applauds those who are seeking a compromise that would let the field stay, and allow us to dream of creaky-kneed wiffle-ball home runs. We hope the kids who built the team will whiff every one of their opponents and show them what it means to be good sports.

update (7 P.M.): According to Newsday [”Greenwich seeks solution to Wiffle ball squabble,” July 12, 2008], the “Greenwich First Selectman [think mayor] Peter Tesei is trying to strike a balance and resolve the dispute. . . Tesei says he is leaning toward letting the teens continue using the lot and wants to hear more from both sides.”

law firm picnic
the ump consults
his Blackberry

…… by david giacalone - Baseball Haiku (2007)

As the New York Times noted, wiffle ball was invented just down the road from Greenwich. The firm The Wiffle Ball Inc. is located in Shelton, CT, and you can learn the origin of the hollow plastic ball with eight oblong perforations at their website, and learn the official rules. It being an American sport and company, you won’t be surprised to discover that a major part of text on the Wiffle Ball website is dedicated to the topic of Trademark and Copyright restrictions. [Intellectual Property lawyers out there might opine for our readers as to whether the word “wiffle” has become a generic term.] As the Mullany Brothers — grandsons of the founder — remind us all:

“Please be advised that “WIFFLE” and all images contained herein are either copyrights or trademarks of The Wiffle Ball, Inc. Their use, for any purpose, is forbidden unless you’ve obtained express written consent from The Wiffle Ball, Inc. to do so. Additionally, all content, particularly The Rules of the Game, is copyrighted material.”

“. . . You can throw curves with a WIFFLE ball, but please, play straight when referring to our valuable brand.”

With that nod to the truest American past-time, we close the punditry portion of this posting.

bases loaded
the rookie pitcher
blows a bubble

…………. by ed markowski - Baseball Haiku (2007); Haiku Sun (Issue X, Jan. 2004)

We didn’t expect to feature more baseball-related poetry again (most recently covered here), but the Young Wiffle Ball Heroes in Greenwich have inspired us to find a few whimsical haiku and senryu for our joint enjoyment:

the toddler
runs to third base
first

all day rain
on the playing field
a stray dog

……. by Tom Painting - Baseball Haiku (2007); from the chapbook piano practice

empty baseball field
a dandelion seed floats through
the strike zone

……. by George Swede - Almost Unseen (Brooks Books, 2000); Baseball Haiku (2007)

my so-called friends
send in my sister
to pinch-hit for me

….. by John Stevenson

late innings
the shortstop backpedals
into fireflies

April rain
my grandson practices
his infield chatter

sides chosen
the boy not chosen
lends me his glove

…….. by Ed Markowski - Baseball Haiku (2007)
“sides chosen” - bottle rockets (7:1, 2005)

rumble of thunder
the boy still looking for the ball
in the grass

…………………………………. by Lee Gurga - Baseball Haiku (2007); Too Busy for Spring, 1999 HNA Anthology

in the shoe box
attic light from one window
and the creased Willie Mays

……………… by Tom Clausen - Baseball Haiku (2007); Bases Loaded, a renga chapbook

baseball
rolls into the mud –
painted lady flutters up

…………………………. by randy brooks - Baseball Haiku (2007)

calm evening
the ballgame play-by-play
across the river

… by jim kacian - Baseball Haiku (2007); Past Time (Red Moon Press, 1999)

afterwords (July 14, 2008): Thanks to Jeffrey Mehalic at the West Virginia Business Litigation weblog, for pointing to this posting in Blawg Review #168.

 I

 Here are a few poems by our Honored Guest Billie Wilson, which had been featured in June 2008 at Mann; click and browse through her Mann archives for more. This month, you will find haiku and senryu by Roberta Beary at Mann Library every day.

fruitstand apples—
the rich smell of horses
on my hands

storm clouds roil
across the prairie—
she marks her place

for years to come
the flowers he planted
along the narrow road

pink lemonade—
the taffeta rustle
of cottonwoods

…. by Billie Wilson, and featured June 2008 at the Mann Library Haiku Page

“fruitstand apples”: HSA Northwest Region Members’ Anthology, 2000

S[n]idenote: As often happens with the annual list from M-W, I find myself wondering “what took so long?” to add terms like “dirty bomb,” “air quotes” and “Mental Health Day” to their dictionary.

Here’s the Merriam-Webster entry for “mondegreen:”

Mondegreen (1954): word or phrase that results from a mishearing of something said or sung. From the mishearing in a Scottish ballad of “laid him on the green” as “Lady Mondegreen.”

- Click for the mondegreen entry in the 2000 edition of The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language. And find more at OneLook.com. For more background and examples, try Wikipedia.

- Submit Your Favorite Mondegreen to Merriam-Webster’s contest by July 25, 2008! (via Michelle Malkin)

The AP article notes:

Among the best-known modern examples: “There’s a bathroom on the right” in place of Creedence Clearwater Revival’s “There’s a bad moon on the rise” and “‘Scuse me, while I kiss this guy” in place of “kiss the sky” in the 1967 Jimi Hendrix classic “Purple Haze.”

Although my friends at Language Log might disagree with my preference, for me, mondegreen falls into the annoying category of neologisms that are not self-explanatory. You need to know the special literary or cultural allusion involved in order to figure out (or remember) the meaning, rather than being able to parse or guess the meaning from the construction of the word. [An infamous example, of course, is “blog”, which I have long decried and derided.]

Far more preferable, in my opinion, are words like the closely allied term “malapropism,” which means “the unintentional misuse of a word by confusion with one that sounds similar.” Although it was derived from Sheridan’s dramatic character Mrs. Malaprop, her name was based on the adverb “malapropos,” which was borrowed from the French mal à propos — literally meaning “badly for the purpose.” Even someone with my limited knowledge of Romance Languages could probably guess the meaning of malapropism. Good luck with “mondegreen,” which might mean Green Earth.

You can find a mountain of mondegreens at KissThisGuy.com, “The Archives of Misheard Lyrics,” which is named for the oft-cited off-version of the Jimi Hendrix verse. KTG has been collecting misheard lyrics since 1995. Its viewers have chosen the 100 funniest misheard lyrics of all time.

Jon Carroll, columnist for the San Francisco Chronicle, is clearly a mondegreen maven. See his article “Mondegreens ripped my flesh,” which links to numerous columns on the topic. At his Center for the Humane Study of Mondegreens, Carroll’s been “toting up the entries and applying the latest statistical correlative methods, even using our toes, to arrive at a semi-definitive answer,” and gives his own list of “most frequently submitted” mondegreens. Carroll notes that:

“This space has been for some years the chief publicity agent for Mondegreens. The Oxford English Dictionary has not yet seen the light, but it will, it will.”

Now that Merriam-Webster has seen the light, Big Ox can’t be far behind. But, Carroll notes a problem with the modegreen genre: You can’t always tell what the “real” lyrics are. Over the years, I’ve noticed that some bands put different lyrics on their liner notes than they actually sing — perhaps to fool radio or parental censors. (Recall that the Rolling Stones sang “Let’s Spend Some Time Together” when they appeared on the Ed Sullivan Show in the ’60s.)

A particularly telling example of the problem of mondegreen creation is Jimi Hendrix’s own lyric in “Purple Haze.” As Carroll explained:

“Mr. Hendrix was himself aware that he had been Mondegreened, and would occasionally, in performance, actually kiss a guy after saying that line.”

The folks at KissThisGuy are acutely aware of this issue. In fact, their site includes a video clip of Hendrix clearing singing “while I kiss this guy” in concert. Thus, they admit:

We think the video above makes it pretty clear that Hendrix liked to mess around with the lyrics, and on occasion actually did say “‘Scuse me, while I kiss this guy.” Which means this site may not be named after one of the most commonly misheard lyrics after all. Additional stories from readers below support that.

KTG also notes in their FAQs that “Sometimes, the mondegreens are intentional.” For example:

“On the John Laroquette show many years ago, in which he played a bus station manager, there were two cops, one a short woman and the other a rotund middle aged man. The woman once stated that her partner was so food obsessed that he thought the line to the Crystal Gayle song was ‘Donuts make your brown eyes blue’.”

Snopes.com has an interesting and full account of one of the most famous examples of an intentional mondegreen — the supposed “dirty” lyrics to the Kingsmen’s version of “Louie Louie.” Check out the original “Louie Louie” lyrics, by Richard Berry at Snopes.com and here. The Kingsmen’s version is not noticeably smuttier — according to Snopes and apparently the FBI (a mother wrote to Robert F. Kennedy complaining about the Kingsmen and it seems that an investigation was made; the G-men couldn’t understand a word). Yet, a Modegreenian Myth persists. Snopes.com has the mythical lyrics and explains:

“So it was that the youth of America scored a major coup in 1963 by spreading the rumor that a popular recording of an otherwise innocuous 1956 song about a lovesick sailor’s lament to a bartender named Louie was really all about sex. You had to listen carefully, the rumor went, maybe even play the single at 33 RPM instead of 45 RPM, but if you did, you’d find that “loie Louie” was chock full of smutty lyrics. . . . A more efective means of aggravating the older generation could scarcely have been devised . . .”

Is an intentional or erroneous Mondegreen really a Mondegreen? Do the f/k/a Gang look like philosophers or linguists? We don’t have the answer, but maybe Language Log’s Benjamin Zimmer will come to our assistance. You are invited to opine, too.

p.s. In a post on Mondegreens, the weblog 2to4aDay courageously confesses today to needing subtitles in order to understand what is being said in a lot of English-language movies. Prof. Yabut now admits that he must do the same (even when not on a treadmill), especially with any movie filled with Brits or Australians (despite all that practice during the British rock-n-roll Invasion of the ’60s). Yabut also notes that he has visual Mondegreens several times a day reading newspaper or web articles. So far, he catches most of them because the meaning suddenly seems nonsensical, but those broken synapses are making it more and more difficult.

Meanwhile, The Gang needs a nap on this muggy July day. Thereafter, we might try to find a haiku or senryu about misheard words.

Much Better Late Than Never: (5 PM): Speaking of my peri-dementia, I had meant to quote from and point to the delightful discussion of mondegreens in the Wordsmith A Word A Day column of Dec. 20, 2000. For example:

“Face it, you have been guilty of it since early childhood. Beginning with the nursery rhymes you heard on the playground to the national anthem you recited in school to crooning with the love songs on the radio, you have been misinterpreting and repeating them. Now you know there is a word for it and that you are not alone. Luckily there are no Mondegreen Police or we would all be behind bars. No matter what your native tongue, chances are you
have experienced mondegreens in your language.”

The folks at AWAD were absolutely correct: “Whether you consider mondegreens a case of aural dyslexia or a variant of Freudian slip, the results are often much more fascinating than the original matter.”

update (July 15, 2008): Thanks to radio host Don Weeks, of WGY.com, I learned of this great “misheard lyrics” version of Joe Cocker singing “A Little Help from My Friends” at Woodstock. Fertile ground indeed for Montegreens (with captioning “for the clear-headed” who might not have caught them all). more uppadate (July 16, 2008): See our “joe cocker: modegreen maven.”

crackling beach fire —
we hum in place of words
we can’t recall

orig. … by Michael Dylan Welch - The Heron’s Nest (Dec. 2004)

wipers wiping
slush from the windshield–
radio love song

………. by Alice Frampton - The Heron’s Nest (May 2002)

copying the nagging
in the thatched house…
croaking frogs

.. by Kobayashi Issa, translated by David G. Lanoue

flower illiterate
I wander the garden
wordless

… by David G. Lanoue - from Walking the Same Path (HSA Memb. Anthology 2004)

an old song
in our second language
starry night

……….. by Peggy Lyles - To Hear the Rain (Brooks Books, 2002)