It is our stupidity and cruelty and selfishness toward animals that has caused all of what we are now experiencing. So, in a way, I am glad that our lockdown is allowing them to roam more freely. My fear, however — and I believe it is justified — is that once we are out and about again, and they have become accustomed to us not being out and about, they will pay the price (as always).
All posts by Rondi Adamson
This is Just to Say: Quarantine Edition
With apologies to William Carlos Williams.
This is Just to Say
I have eaten
the unsalted Saltines
that were in the
pantry
and the salted pistachios
and the President’s Choice oatmeal cookies
even though it is Lent
and I vowed no sweets
and the rest of the Kosher Dills
that were in the
refrigerator
along with a chunk of that pricey Parmigiano-Reggiano
you told me was
only for pasta
and a swig of the
Hennessy (right from the bottle)
though you said we
shouldn’t squander it
also I took one
of your Ambien last night
These things
I know you had probably
hoped would last us all
through quarantine
Forgive me
I was stressed
and it made me
feel better
Haiku Quintet: Corona Edition
Verse for these trying times. (You can also read my Ode to the Banana, my Haiku for Alex Trebek, and my Paris poem.)
CORONA HAIKU
Coronavirus
makes us stay inside and watch
reruns of Mad Men.
Covid 19 is,
I think, payback for human
abuse of critters.
So, while you watch Mad
Men or Bewitched, enjoy a
vegan snack or drink.
(If you choose Bewitched,
try not to channel Mrs.
Kravitz while shut in.)
And when we are free
again, don’t revert to the
eating of carcass.
I Got it from Agnes: Song for the Pandemic
St. Patrick’s Day: John O’Donohue
For St. Patrick’s Day, these words from poet, priest and philosopher John O’Donohue on aloneness and loneliness, isolation and longing. Fitting topics for this time of pandemic (and actually, for whatever time).
We live in a world that responds to our longing; it is a place where the echoes always return, even if sometimes slowly… The hunger to belong is at the heart of our nature. Cut off from others, we atrophy and turn in on ourselves. The sense of belonging is the natural balance of our lives… There is some innocent childlike side to the human heart that is always deeply hurt when we are excluded… When we become isolated, we are prone to being damaged; our minds lose their flexibility and natural kindness; we become vulnerable to fear and negativity.
Taken from Eternal Echoes: Celtic Reflections on Our Yearning to Belong.
Freeman Dyson
One of a kind – brilliant man. This is not exactly an obituary, but a testament to his view of inspiration and creativity.
George Harrison’s 77th Birthday
Honouring Holocaust Victims by Bringing their Music to Life
I first saw this report on 60 Minutes in December – the entire transcript with video clips is here. It tells the story of Francesco Lotoro, an Italian man who has dedicated his energy to discovering the music written by prisoners of Nazi death camps and bringing it to life. What a blessing he is, as is his wife.
Aided by his wife, Grazia, who works at the local post office to support the family, Lotoro has collected and catalogued more than 8,000 pieces of music, including symphonies, operas, folk songs, and Gypsy tunes scribbled on everything from food wrapping to telegrams, even potato sacks.
The couple have established a foundation to archive the music and their work in their native Barletta, in the Puglia region of Italy. When/if I am lucky enough to return to Italy, I will visit Barletta and the Lotoros’ foundation.