Hours Like Diamonds

 

“The hours are diamonds” - Time waits for no one by the Rolling Stones.

Thanks to the Internet and archives,

One has the chance to take a deep dive

into any past era, in text, video or songs.

You can take your present self along

for a ride into a past era of your life,

one with different pleasure or strife.

Care to revisit the roaring twenties,

the depressed 30’s or wartime 40’s?

Strap in and get online and search,

More of nearly everything lurks.

That song that grabbed your head

back then will remind of times fled.

The world of your great-grandparents

struggles and triumphs and etc etc

rises up out of the screen to grip

your imagination, do a mental backflip.

Our hi-def, always connected world has

the built-in wayback machine to razmatazz.

Earlier generations were locked in black and white,

but we have multitudes of full-color delights.

Hard to imagine what future generations will have

that beats our best technical enhancements and assistants.

Interplanetary Innovator

 

In the past words like “helicopter” and “Mars”

were not commonly used in the same sentence.

But in the past three years they were, often.

An improbable rotorcraft flew over another world.

Stuff of pulp sci-fi, seemingly explained away

by recent science – “there’s no atmosphere there!”

Yet there was a minute one made of carbon dioxide,

dense enough to support blades spinning very fast.

Along comes a tiny helicopter flying over the Red Planet,

snapping photos and performing experiments.

An autonomous insect, obeying commands from Earth.

Progress takes many forms – advancement many disguises.

This will be the first of many hovering seekers,

searching red sands for fossils of ancient creatures.

Well done, mighty little Ingenuity helicopter.

Memory Memorandum

 

I remember when

was hustling back and forth in front of some machine,

keeping it fed with paper and attention and commands.

I remember when

Was standing in front of another device, separating paper

stacks and removing carbons. For hours and hours.

I remember when

Was feeding paper into printers or slapping up tape reels,

studying screens, shelving tapes, troubleshooting all night long.

I remember when

I went into empty offices at night, emptied trash cans,

swept and mopped floors, vacuumed large areas,

cleaned bathrooms and restocked paper products.

I remember when

a crew of us got locked into a building overnight,

to sweep, mop and wax large flooring areas.

They paid extra for working overnight doing this.

I remember when

Walked the floors of a large telecom complex,

emptying wastecans, dustmopping, floor finishing,

all while keeping things secure and locked,

trying not to damage equipment or get lippy.

I Remember when

we had to clean filthy bars, restrooms full of vomit,

filthy carpeted floors, tables coated with spilled booze,

but we got to keep any dropped change on the carpets.

I remember when

got up at 4 AM, made it to work by 5:40 AM,

First went for the icemelt to toss it all around a complex,

a full square block, even if it was -15 deg. F and snowing.

Then after that going indoors to resume cleaning large areas.

I remember when

went down to several municipal buildings to clean,

walking through rain, snow, heat to get to other buildings,

go in and clean and re-stock, and be careful with speech

or actions – be on good behavior even around bad behavior.

I remember when

all of that came to an end one day,

leaving work on my last night,

breathing a sigh of relief.

It was all done.

Turned in work clothes the next day,

then went home to plot out a fabulous

retirement!

That was the happiest memory of all.

Dumped on Again

 

We know it is not a matter of if, but when

nasty old winter will take a dump on us again.

Going along our daily routines in fair weather,

There is never any question of whether

we will make it to our destination on time.

Usually the sun comes out and it is fine.

However, past tornadoes and derechos remind

us that eventually we’ll face ugly climes…

But we are doughty stout midwesterners,

and have endured many harsh weather events.

At least we don’t have nasty Nor’easters,

or hurricanes that oceans often present!

We can “hunker down” and barricade ourselves indoors;

Someday this will be a bad memory, one that we endured.

One Direction

 One of a couple of sprigs I still remember from glancing through Stephen Hawking's book  "A Brief History of Time" is the fact that time is a one-way arrow.  He even had a big fat arrow to illustrate - one way only.  There is no going back.  We know that we will inevitably be going forward, and that it will pass faster than we realize, making us wonder where it all went.

     So we know that we are on this one-way roller coaster that cannot be stopped, or slowed, except in our memories.  But - we can make use of this.  We can start a long-term program, knowing that the time will pass.  We can wake up every day and say to ourselves  "Today I am going to do this or that activity to put myself one day closer to my goal.  Because today I decide (again) that I am worth it, that my goal is worth pursuing, and that the time will pass either way, no matter what I do.  So it is up to me to decide - to move forward with the inexorable arrow, to be carried by time, and to carry my goal with me, and never waver.   I can ride this time train to the end, and carry my goals with me, because I am worth it!  One can harness this inevitable motion we are in, on, and a part of.

     There is no magic machine to ride backwards.  But you can swim downstream and be propelled by the movement of the universe, and take advantage of the same, day by day, hour by hour, with your consistent efforts.  

     Good luck achieving your goals, and happy holidays to all. 

Limited Lines

 

A 700-page tome can garner much praise,

netting an author fame and a big payday;.

Yet how many will read every single page,

and be able to recall the words conveyed.

A short-eight-line poem pays no bills,

nor earns an astounding commissions;

While it may lack convoluted-plot thrills,

you can read and comprehend it in seconds.

With enough time left over for coffee and texting,

or if you are exotic, an herbal tea and some sexting.

Have already robbed you of these extra seconds,

So have a nice day, and please be kind and pleasant.

Happy Winter Solstice Everyone.

Perched Atop Many Years

 

Once way back when,

in dim memories of elementary school

hallways, with clumps of bodies exiting

classrooms, I measured my progress.

The groups of younger, smaller kids kept

increasing with each passing year.

Our class got taller, until we left entirely.

We went to other schools, and

I started at the bottom again,

gradually moving up the chain.

Until that sunny Graduation day,

wearing the black gown and cap.

Another transition from top to bottom.

Starting at a new company, the

future seemed glowing and golden.

So many benefits spread out before me,

a banquet of wonderful possibilities.

The the training and learning began,

and there I was, at a lower bottom than ever.

But somehow I learned, absorbed,

ground my way slowly to a full position.

For a brief moment in time I felt on top again.

Full of impulsive arrogance, I stepped off the brink:

A succession of lesser employments unfolded.

At times I slogged higher on the hill of one of those,

and felt a bit more in control of my future destiny.

Until I finally crossed that line of Retirement and was

able to claim Social Security – talk about being on top!

Now I sit perched high above the years and gaze down.

Looking back at all of the struggles, even as I keep

my eyes sharp for gig opportunities to augment my stipend.

Worries about health and aging have replaced worries of whether

the boss is mad at me, or I screwed something up royally.

Getting up on a Monday morning and not having to rush out

is its own sweet reward, savored every single damn Monday there is.

Feelings of gratitude to have made it here to write about

“What a long, strange trip it has been” indeed.

Brooding December

 

The river is brooding and moody,

the woods quiet, nestled in sleep.

Even the deer are sheltering from

the blast of winters fury or a hunter’s slugs.

But it is still warm today…

So I hike through dry brush and packed dirt,

or trudge along sandy riverside temporarily thawed.

Not even many birds are out and about.

At least no fisher-peoples to trip over while snapping pics.

A silent, almost surreal landscape not unlike Iceland,

or Asgard -- this time of year anyway.

The day seems nice, but sky gods are plotting their

latest devastation to hurl against humanity,

while we huddle below, praying to them to

at least keep our furnaces running.

You never know what a sky god will take a notion to do!

Time to turn the thoughts to the holiday celebrations,

happier times indoors with family or friends.

Even if things are forced and endured, and

especially if events are enjoyed and savored.

It is worth it – better than being stuck outside!

A Quantum Future

 

400 qubits are enough to take over humanity?

What little value we have in the grand picture,

the overarching sweep of history, on a galactic scale.

Other civilizations may have been swallowed by their

artificial constructs, and that is what is radiating in all

of the spectrums of light throughout the universe.

Thirty years more, and we’ll all be ordering things

ready-made from factor modules, controlling it

from headsets or implants or voice or handwaves.

Wealth that was unimaginable in previous times

will be available to all – all who don’t unduly

upset the authorities in charge – or the AI in charge.

Will some of these technologies make it into space?

Certainly some, since it takes extreme technology

to even make it to outer space, and survive there.

So astronauts will lead the way, our tech demonstrators.

How long it takes to trickle to the rest of us

is a matter of conjecture and discussion.

But sometimes too much, too fast can be damaging.

Nevertheless, entire industries rise and fall on the

basis of one simple improvement, factored into all.

See you on the other side of tomorrow!

No class like the old class

 

The class of ‘75 is still in touch,

those disparate lives across the country.

We are all 48 years and an email away;

so many years and miles, places and times.

Vast distance and murky memories crossed

instantly, made fresh and real again.

Grainy mental images surface again.

Classrooms and teachers and lugging books,

prefects and brothers and late-night parties.

Moments happy and sad, terrifying and thrilling.

Homecoming excitement and basketball tournaments,

those colorful coaches saying “What the hell!” or even

“Open your damn biology books!”

Shakespeare records played by that gruff Bball maestro.

Stunning Colorado scenery made a perfect backdrop

to all of the teenage boarding school dramas and comedies.

It was an out-of-this-world experience, and we left there

able to compete academically and on the playing fields.

Others should be half as lucky

as we were to attend Holy Cross Abbey

way, way back in the dim mists of the 1970’s.

Go Bears! can still resonate today,

bring a smile to our faces as we

remember those golden years gone by.

The Right Pick

 

Booth or Table? is asked.

It used to be

Paper or Plastic?

That stopped me cold at times

on a busy Saturday morning,

when I had so many more things

to decide than what kind of bag to use.

A long time before this it used to be

Beer or mixed drink?

Dance or sit and talk?

Your place, or mine?

Bottom, or top?

The summation would arrive through a

fog of anxiety, as if by magic:

Whiskey and soda,

Dance then sit (on your lap?)

Mine,

Versatile.

Some magic times have to be taken

moment by moment, step by step.

However things turn out,

just keep taking those steps,

somehow you will get through it.

Today it was a table, a long one,

with many familiar faces.

After the coffee and smiles and chat and food,

there was no doubt in my mind:

I made the right choice.

Happy Thanks Day

 

So many things to be thankful for.

That my failures haven’t landed me on the street,

living in a tent and surviving on scraps and handouts.

Or in some prison or six feet under the earth.

Thankful that I stayed employed for many years,

built up retirement funds and credits that keep me

housed, fed and comfortable in my now older years.

Thankful that I still have a car to get around in.

Thankful that AIDS and Covid-19 didn’t take me down,

that I survived all of the other more minor afflictions.

So many others fell from these and other diseases.

I can pause and consider these things while I sit and

enjoy a big thanksgiving dinner with other survivors.

Thankful to enjoy the good things, wonders of the present

time, in good enough health to enjoy the benefits.

Search at my fingertips or voice command,

more options for travel and entertainment.

More ways to connect with others for intimacy.

May others be blessed as I am and enjoy a healthy life,

and good times and friends to celebrate the best moments.

Thankful for all of the kindnesses and gracious favors

that others have given to me, or done for me.

Thankful for many things on this Thanksgiving of 2023.

Happy Holidays to Everyone!

China

 

From rickshaws and dusty villages,

once conquered, humiliated and abused,

barefoot and wearing rags...

arose a new colossal economic superpower,

practically on par with the mighty USA.

Mao once said that “they will sell us

the rope to hang them with,” and

there is more truth to that than not.

Cheap labor, central planning and persistence

have transformed them into a major force,

now sailing the world’s largest navy.

What kind of future do we want?

One with irradiated rubble and a few

starving survivors, living in squalor?

Or one with amazing technologies,

wearable headsets to operate all of

our transports and technologies -- 

through neural interfaces custom-tailored...

Also real progress on climate change and

global hunger and poverty?

It is up to the present leaders to

not push us on the path of

inevitable war, destruction and despair.

Let’s opt for the better, brighter future,

the high road out of nuclear confrontation!

Haiku Play

 

out to eat today

an expected friend not there

time to move on now

some things don’t turn out

best laid plans fall through on us

pack up and move it

road yonder beckons

new chances just round the bend

there will be more friends

later down the trail

who should show but my old friend

renewed contact fun

it is not over yet

there will always be chances

get that chin up now

(These probably break a lot of traditional rules, but they are 5-7-5 at least.)

Cursed or Blessed

 

Blessed are the communities that do the blessing,

feeding the hungry and staffing hospitals and schools.

Doing the good and necessary that needs doing,

helping humanity as a whole while believing.

Omnipresent religion sits everywhere one looks,

Catholic and Lutheran, evangelical not forsook.

One can believe in fairies, trolls and monsters,

Satan and Jesus and Almighty God in His throne.

It does not much matter what one believes,

so long as they manifest those eternal qualities –

compassion, charity, forgiveness, humility and love.

These in themselves seem to hold the supernatural.

Instead of killing each other off for once and all,

we pause, consider, forgive, be generous in our charity.

Practicing patience and thoughtfulness and kindness.

we overrule our baser impulses of rage and jealousy.

And thus make the world a better place for our families,

our friends and offspring and loved ones all over.

Knowing we are flawed and imperfect,

we can struggle to attain a higher plane.

Whatever god purports to say it,

we can all strive to live it.

No matter who brings you some grain of gold,

it is and remains gold all the same.

Bright and valuable and yours to honor.

To the insect worlds, humans are the gods!

Current Events

 

So the AI can’t write a decent poem?

good, gives us humans a bit of hope.

Our technology is a mere reflection of us.

Flawed and bumbling, yet it sometimes reaches

new heights and raises our morale.

Then failures follow successes,

dashing the same encouragement,

leaving us bereft, and forced to start again.

Hasn’t that been our story since we

came down from the trees and stood up?

We win some, find new foods, hurrah

in our successes until nature and chance

rub our noses in the dirt, and break our bones.

If we do manage to up-evolve to a new

machine intelligence and overcome

the limitations of space and time –

Then we’ll do a virtual head-shake together,

and wonder how we ever made it through those

dark, awful days of the early 21^st century.

Maybe by then our AI intellects will figure out

how to write a poem.

Maybe.

#/> end program.

Offline Hacks

 

When everything else is humming along fine,

plans unfolding as they should in real time.

Obstacles encountered are easily surmounted,

Frustrations endured or forgotten or flouted.

The blessings get counted and feelings are fine,

occasional good surprises are truly sublime.

Conversations with friends work out alright,

house and yard maintained to prevent blight.

Until all of a sudden early one night,

Internet connection drops with a fright.

That Smart TV is now deaf and dumb;

no more emails, surveys or social media fun.

This is when things turn unpleasant and surreal,

resourcefulness kicks into high gear to appease

those cravings with over the air TV and real books,

temporary inconvenience survived, angst overlooked.

After an hour it came back on, and the information stream

was interfaced with, thus returned to an AI-infused dream.

The Fall is Falling

 

Fall is falling like it promised,

trees dropping pretense and baring their souls.

Squirrels are scrambling and collecting food,

Preparing nests for the white bitterness ahead.

Temperatures tease us with warmth and breezes,

lure us into complacence before those inevitable drops.

No matter, we Midwesterners know to prepare;

and at times pause to take in the color and beauty.

Markets rise and fall with the temperatures,

raising some spirits before dashing our hopes.

The only thing we can count on is the

weather – we know it will change a lot.

We will fall into our usual holiday rotation,

giving thanks, presents and toasts to a new year.

Making promises we know we will not keep,

but smiling and happy nevertheless –

for a while anyway.

Bundle up – here it comes!

Rondeau play

 A Game of When

It takes so long, this exploration game.

Every new mission it’s always the same.

Years of preparation and repeated testing,

discarding or tweaking or endless vetting.

Looking towards novel discovery and fame.

Mishap or disaster invites new blame,

error discovery explanations seem lame.

Newscasters engage in some digressing,

it takes so long to succeed in this game.

We want to find new territory to claim,

despite past treaties warning refrains.

Repeated failure can be distressing,

hard to keep taxpayers from denigrating!

It takes so long to cement new gains.

Parade of Data Machines

 

Parading images go past in memory,

Wondrous devices of the past, now passed.

IBM electromechanical marvels

Selectric typewriters, Chain and train printers,

higher speed behemoths eating ink and paper,

spitting out data in reports on continuous forms.

DEC VAX multitasking monsters,

many students could message and network.

User-friendly Internet precursors on CRT screens,

nothing but black background and blinking cursor.

Huge rooms full of iron frames and blue or red boxes,

Clattering printers, hum of disk drives and fans,

Halon signs and Big Red Buttons for emergency shutdown.

So impressive in the 1960’s and 1970’s,

so obsolete now they are all scrapped.

Fun to put my phone on “do not disturb,”

and look back at the days of yore on Youtube.

Remember what was and what we had to endure.

But back then we thought it was the ultimate...

Many things are different in this day and age,

but one thing remains constant:

Human addiction to war and killing,

with the innocents suffering the most.

Technology explodes – in more ways than one!