Pawns and Kings - Gilbert's Song

Inspired by Chesterton!

Pax et bonum

First Fibonacci Poems

Facts

can

have their

own beauty,

but of themselves lack

a sense of purpose or meaning:

diamonds waiting

to be cut

and set

in

rings.

One

of

Satan's

favorite

tricks is to convince

people that he does not exist,

so they'll then conclude

that therefore

nothing

is

sin.

Fibonacci poems are based on the mathematical Fibonacci sequence in which the next number is based on the previous two number added together. The poems count syllables. We start with one syllable, add that one and what came before, (0) to get a line with one syllable, then you combine that line's count with the one of the previous line (1 +1), so the third line has two syllables. Then the next line would be 1 +2 (three syllables), the next line would five syllables (2 + 3), and so on.So you get 

One

One

Two

Three

Five

Eight ....  

you can go on, but 13 syllable, then 21 syllable gets really hard, so many poems only go as far as the eight-syllable line.

Some poems end with the longest line, some go back in the reverse direction. So you get:

One

One

Two

Three

Five

Eight

Five

Three

Two
One 

One

My first attempts used this format for my first two attempts at Fibonacci poems..

Pax et bonum

Respect Women's Bodies

I was standing in front of Planned Parenthood this morning as part of the current 40 Days For Life campaign. I was saying a Rosary while hold a sign proclaiming LOVE WILL END ABORTION.

A young woman in a white car drove by. As she passed, she turned her head and looked at me.

She continued down the block, then I heard her yell back at me. "Respect women's bodies."

There was no chance for dialogue. But if there had been, I would have told her some of the following.

I do respect women's bodies. That's one of the reasons I'm standing here, praying for them and their babies.

Abortion harms women's bodies.

An abortion - and we are talking about legal abortions - can have immediate physical effects, including excessive bleeding, uterine perforation, cervical tears, even death.

Women who have had an abortion have increased chances of developing cancer, particularly breast 

cancer.

Women who have had an abortion suffer increased rates of infertility.

Women who have had an abortion have increased rates of sexual dysfunction.

There is even a recognized disorder known as Post-Abortion Syndrome. Symptoms of this syndrome can include eating disorders, depression, difficulty sleeping. abusive or overprotective parenting, panic disorders, compulsive tendencies, and more.

There are psychological effects associated with abortion as well. Those effects include major depression, suicidal tendencies, and anxiety disorders.

So yes, I do respect women's bodies.

And I will continue to pray for women - including that young woman in the white car.

Pax et bonum

Swedenborg 30 - in process (rough)

(This is as far as I got on the novel when I worked on it before. This chapter needs revising and completing. Then I need to add new chapters.) 

The apartment was clean – well, as clean as could be expected given the state it had been in and the limited time.

Frank just hoped no one would try to get into the roommate’s bedroom.

Joe was sitting on the edge of the couch, reading a book he’d uncovered from a pile that Frank was in the process of moving.

He laughed, looked up at Frank, and gave him a puzzled look, as if he was trying to recall who he was and why he was there. Then he looked around the room, and the puzzled look crossed his face again.

“I think we’re about as ready for your guests as we’re going to be,” Frank said.

“Guests? Oh, yes. What time is it?”

“Five thirty. I’m going to head home to change.” He pointed to his shirt. “Something spilled. I’ll be back at 7.”

Joe stood up, dropping the book on the floor. He looked around and smiled broadly.

“Thanks. I never would have gotten ready in time.”

Frank picked up the book and put it on the coffee table.

“You might want to stick to the kitchen or your room for a while so this room remains relatively uncluttered,” Frank said, grinning.

He hurried out of the apartment and climbed into his car. I wonder what Jack would say about me at a geekfest, he thought. Then it occurred to him that he just didn’t care.

Something about Joe made him feel more at ease than he had in a while.

He got back to the apartment. As he let himself in, Jack suddenly appeared out of the kitchen, phone in hand.

“Where have you been?” Jack asked with unusual fierceness.

“I was helping a friend get ready for a party,” Frank replied uncertainly.

“I’ll call you back later,” Jack barked into the phone and hung it up. He closed his eyes.

“Sorry,” Jack said softly. “I was, I don’t know.”

He sat on the couch. Frank sat on the chair opposite.

“What’s going on?” Frank asked.

“You’re going to think I’m crazy. 

"More that normal?" Frank said, trying to lighten the mood.

Jack gestured around the room. "I, it's weird, I feel like I’m being watched.”

“Sohner?”

“No. Don't think I'm nuts. Demons.” He added with a weak smile, “I guess that could include Sohner."

“Come on.”

“Told you. Sounds crazy. And no, I haven’t been drinking. I’m tempted, though.”

“So …”

 “It’s since last night at Lilly's. There’s been something .. some things … around here. Following me. Watching me. Spying on me. But I get the idea they’re really after you.”

“Me?” Frank felt a sudden chill. That night at Lilly's. The return through the woods - had something followed him. No, this was nuts.

“What makes you think you’re being watched?”

“Sounds, Things out of the corner of my eye. A feeling in the air, like something’s there. And then you didn’t come back. I was afraid that – whatever – had gotten you.”

Frank looked at the floor for a moment, then back at Jack.

“I wish I could say it’s nothing. But that stuff at Lilly’s. And, well, when I was coming back that night I felt like something was after me.”

 “And all the crap going on in town. It’s like the whole city’s possessed.” Jack paused, then added, “Are you going to see her again?”

 Frank thought of the feelings – the feelings of raw desire he’d had when with her. Like nothing he’d ever felt before. It frightened him.

 “I know you were mad that night. It was like you were jealous.”

Jack scowled.

“No, listen. Like there’s something she could offer to any man. Even one who’s gay.”

“I slept with her,” Jack said. “A couple of times. At first it was just sex, buddy sex, not love. Like we both had nothing better to do, we were in-between lovers, so we did it because we needed to do it.”

“At first?”

“Then it got, weird. I’d had sex with women before, sometimes just to prove that it wasn’t my thing.  I never felt anything. But with her, there was something. I …  We haven’t done anything in a while.”

“Nothing happened between us,” Frank said. “We just kissed. But I wanted to do more. It was like I had to do more.”

“Why didn’t you?”

"It scared me. The feelings were so strong. I’d never felt anything so powerful. So tempting. And something just seemed wrong. I can't explain it. Like if I did i'd be lost somehow. I left.”

“Are you going to see her again?”

Her face. The way she moved. Her scent. Frank felt uneasy.

“I don’t know.”

Jack looked around the room.

“Maybe we need to do an exorcism of something,” he said in an ironic tone.

“Maybe we should set up a tape recorder like on those fake ghost shows,” Frank said. “You could play it on the radio. See if anyone catches on it’s just the sound of your stomach after some spicy Indian food.”

There was a moment of uneasy silence. Jack broke it.

“You’re still going out?”

“I told you, there’s this guy. Kind of an off-beat sort. Like the old chess club people I used to hang out with.”

“Sounds like a wild night’s in store,” Jack said sarcastically. “Hot Scrabble?”

 “Really, he’s a decent guy. Being around him I felt ... comfortable. I guess that’s the word. Anyway, he was totally unprepared, so I helped him. Maybe you could come?”

 “The AV squad’s not my thing.”

 “It’d get you out of here. And around people.”

 “Besides,” Frank continued, “that writer, my teacher, Staples, is going to be there. Maybe you could hit him up for an interview story.”

 “I’ll catch him some other time. They say he’s sick.”

 “Sick? In what way?”

 “Like terminal. How else did he end up here? This ain’t exactly Oxford.”

 Frank thought about the way Staples looked. The sound of his voice. It was possible.

 “Yeah. You’re might be right. But why here? Even if he is sick, he could have gone anywhere.”

 “If I ever get him on my show I’ll ask him.”

 “Tonight’s your chance to ask.”

 “Truth is, I tried already. He turned me down. But tell you what. You get on his good side. Soften him up, Then maybe that’ll give me an in.”

“But if you show up with me he might get suspicious?”

"Something like that.”

 "If I get a chance to talk to him I'll feel him out."

Thanks." Jack paused, then added, "And be careful.

"Careful?"

Just a feeling. Please, don't stay too late."

"Who knows, we might get caught up in some cut-throat Scrabble."

I'm serious. Keep your eyes open. And watch your back."

Pax et bonum

It's a Mystery

When I was younger, I liked horror and science fiction stories. I read a lot of books and even subscribed to a few magazines. There are still traces of that in that I subscribe to a science fiction poetry magazine (Scifaikuest). I wrote a few stories in that vein, and some poetry - some of those poems have and are still getting published.

But in terms of reading, I gradually got turned off. The contemporary works tend to be too dark and/or sex-obsessed. . 

I have always been a fan of mystery/suspense stories. Chesterton's Father Brown stories. Sherlock Holmes adventures. The Spenser novels. The Father Cadfael novels. Ralph McInerny's Father Dowling and Sister Mary Teresa stories. Tony Hillerman's Navaho novels. Steven Havill's Western mysteries. 

I even created a religiously-oriented detective - though, as is typical of me, I haven't done anything with him yet. 

I need to finish my Swedenborg novel - a leftover from my horror days. Then, who knows, a mystery?

Pax et bonum

Vegetarian Haggis

My Scottish explorations continued with a "Scottish" meal. After learning there is such a thing as a vegetarian version - or several - of the Scottish stereotypical staple, haggis. 

So tonight I prepared one of those versions - along with mashed potatoes, and mashed turnips. 

Instead of the internal organs cooked with oats, vegetables, and spices inside the stomach of a sheep, the recipe I used was a mix of red lentils, kidney beans, and ground nuts cooked with oats, vegetables, and spices in a baking pan.

It was a hit. 

It was also quite filling - and so we have leftovers for tomorrow. 

 Pax et bonum

Joe Biden is a devout Catholic (?)

I've seen a number of people claiming that Joe Biden is a devout Catholic. They use this to help market him to Catholic voters.

Biden says he is a practicing Catholic, and that his faith guides him in many ways. I don't claim to know his soul - that's between him and God. 

But I and others can look at his words and actions, and deem whether those are in keeping with being a devout Catholic.

Biden now supports abortion on demand for the full nine months of pregnancy.

He says he will reverse the Hyde Amendment, which prohibits the government from financially supporting abortion.

He says he will revoke the Mexico City policy, thereby restoring U.S. international support for abortion.

He said he will reverse the decision protecting the Little Sisters of the Poor (and others) from having to provide employees with contraceptive coverage.

He pushed for the legalization of homosexual marriage - and even officiated at one.

All of these actions and words go against Church teachings. 

The Church is very clear on the issue of abortion: It is strictly forbidden. A Catholic cannot be involved in it, and Catholic politicians can't support or promote it. And if they do, they are often told not to receive Communion. 

In a 2013 letter, Pope Francis said, “[people] cannot receive Holy Communion and at the same time act with deeds or words against the commandments, particularly when abortion, euthanasia, and other grave crimes against life and family are encouraged. This responsibility weighs particularly over legislators, heads of governments, and health professionals.”

Back in 2007, according to an article in Reuters, Pope Benedict warned Catholic politicians they risked excommunication from the Church and should not receive communion if they support abortion.

When it comes to Biden himself, some have taken action.

Back in 2012, Bishop Michael Sheridan of Colorado Springs declared  that then-Vice President Joe Biden "... should know, and I would do everything I could do to make sure that he knows, he ought not to be receiving Communion.". 

Last year, Biden was indeed denied Communion in a South Carolina church.

The National Catholic Register covered some other instances where Biden was warned. 

More recently, Bishop Paprocki warned that Biden will force Americans to fund abortions.

As for voters considering voting for Biden, former New York Archbishop John O'Connor offered some guidance: “I do not see how a Catholic, in good conscience, can vote for an individual expressing himself or herself as favoring abortion.” 

Pax et bonum

Okay, so I'm Scottish

As I explore my Scottish roots, I consider my clan. My grandmother was a Baxter from Scotland. When I asked her what clan/tartan/etc. we belonged to, she said her family never really paid much attention to all that - indeed, when she did wear a tartan pattern, she said she just wore whatever looked good - but she did say we belonged to Clan MacMillan. When I looked up that clan, Baxter is indeed a "sept,"a branch, of that clan.

The clan crest features the two-handed sword, and the motto Miseris Succurrere Disco - I Learn to Succor the Distressed. I like that there is a concern for those who are in distress.

According to the history of the clan, the clan had church origins from back in the days that Celtic priests were allowed to marry. Celtic priests used to have a distinctive tonsure: They shaved the front of their heads unlike the Romans, who shaved a ring around the crown (the traditional hair style associated with monks).  The Celtic tonsure was described as that of St. John, which is rendered in Scottish Gaelic as Mhaoil-Iain. MacMillan is therefore "son of one who bore the tonsure of St John." 

So my family is of Church origins. Figures!

As for "Baxter," there's an interesting legend about that. According to the story, Archibald MacMillan was at a fair and got into a fight and killed the member of a powerful clan. Archibald fled, and hid in , the kitchen of a castle, where he switched clothes with a cook, and was kneading dough when the searchers arrived. They took him for a cook, and left. He then returned home, where he was given the nickname of "the Baxter," a form of the word "baker." His clan apparently made a money payment as a fine for the murder, so he never had to face trial.

I'm not currently reading a cultural history of Scotland, so I'll learn more about my roots in the weeks and months ahead.

As for now, I'll keep in mind the Scottish saying: Gie it laldy (do it with lots of gusto).

Pax et bonum

Tired of the debates

I usually don't have problems with debating issues. But lately, the debates have become so intemperate, and the arguments so full of falsehoods, cliches, and talking points I have been unfriending/unfollowing/blocking more and more people - including some long-time friends and fellow Secular Franciscans.

I'm just tired of it - and it is wearing down my spirit.

Pax et bonum

"This Side of Jordan" (Kassel)

I just finished This Side of Jordan by Bill Kassel, having read his early novel with many of the same main characters, Holy Innocents. I'd liked the earlier book, and wanted to give this one a go, looking for something "lighter" and a mystery after reading Dostoyevsky's The Idiot.  

I enjoyed This Side of Jordan and found, as I had with the earlier book, the characters appealing - especially the music minister and protagonist, Alan Kemp, and Father Karl. There were some nice twists and some interesting secondary characters. Like the earlier novel, this one dealt with an issue that is confronting the Church - in this case, homosexuality (the earlier one dealt with abortion)

The writing is clear, and the pacing, for the most part, fine.

All to the good.

But I was not totally satisfied with this novel.

The dialogue was sometimes not believable - there were a couple of points where I found myself asking who really talks like that? The homily and the psychiatrist's explanation of homosexuality, while both rang true, seemed more like essays than things a person would say. 

The ending - I won't give it away - I think violates one of G.K. Chesterton's rules for fair play in mystery stories.

Starting us off with the bodies, then flashing back to the events that led up to the deaths, is fine in a mystery, but I thought it was handled a little awkwardly in this book. 

There were also some small typos - one that really stood out was when in this "Catholic" novel "altar" was misspelled as "alter."

I got the sense this was a self-published work.

My biggest problem is that good Catholic fiction should be good fiction that is imbued with a sense of the faith. It seems  however, that Kassel did not write a book that teaches a moral/theological lesson, he wrote a book to teach a moral/theological lesson. The distinction is important.

I found it interesting that he wrote two novels with some of the same characters, as if he had hoped to write a series of books, but then wrote no more. Perhaps he sensed the weakness in this book, or maybe  he ran out of theological bogeymen to beat. Or maybe after 15 years he'll get the bug again for these  characters. 

If he had written another book in this series, I would have been willing to read it. Despite the flaws of this one, I still enjoyed it. 

So I give this one a tentative thumbs up. I suspect someone of a traditional Catholic sensibility would appreciate it. 

Pax et bonum

Shakespeare Holding Horses Clerihew

William Shakespeare

went to London to begin his theatrical career. Legend is that career began not on the boards, but with holding the horses of gentlemen and lords

Pax et bonum

Ancestry's at it again!

Back in 2014, I did one of those Ancestry DNA tests.

Based on family stories, I expected the results would be Scottish and Irish being close, with Scottish probably have a slight edge, but with a chance Irish would come out on top, and some Dutch or German.

The results that came back were:

Ireland - 56 %
Scandinavia - 16 %
Great Britain - 10 %
Iberian Peninsula - 8 %
Western Europe - 5 %
A few odd traces - 3 %

The Irish was not a complete surprise. The Great Britain seemed to have Scotland in it, and I was surprised it was so low. 

I was pleased and surprised at the Scandinavian (which I described as "Viking") and the Iberian (Hispanic). It was kind of neat being a Viking and partly Hispanic.

I put away my flag of Scotland, and began researching Donegal (which is the region in Ireland the results indicated) and learning some Irish songs.

But the good folks at Ancestry are constantly updating as they get more results from people to include.  So two years ago they sent a new DNA profile.

Ireland was now Ireland/Scotland/Wales, and that increased slightly to 58 %.
Scandinavia was now Sweden, and dropped to just 4 %.
Great Britain suddenly jumped from 10 % to 36 %.
Iberian Peninsula went from 8 % to 0.
Western Europe was now Germanic Europe, and dropped from 5 % to 2 %.
The odd traces were no longer  there.

No longer Hispanic. Ratas! And Viking was still there, but at a much reduced level. I guessed the Great Britain included some Scottish, and that went up. 

In the last couple of days I received yet another update.

Scotland - 54%

Ireland (with strong links to Donegal) - 29%

England and Northwestern Europe - 13%

Wales - 3% 

Norway - 1%

Okay, in estimate 2, Ireland/Scotland/Wales were lumped together totaling 58%. I took that as mostly Irish, as the Scottish blood would seem to be more in the Great Britain section. Now, the three areas are broken out, and total a combined 86% - with Scotland clearly predominant. 

So now I'm back to what I thought before taking the test, more Scottish than Irish. I do like oatmeal.

But Norway instead of Sweden? And a drop? Less Viking! Still, enough I can enjoy mead.

Back up on the Northwestern Europe figure - from 2% to 13% That Dutch/German connection returns.

I can't wait for the next version. Will Polish mysteriously appear? Finnish? Prussian?

At least I can go back to promoting an independent Scotland. I just dug out that flag.

Freedom! 

Pax et bonum

St. Bridget's Seven Sorrows of Mary Devotion

St. Bridget of Sweden was noted for her devotion to prayer, and to caring for the poor and sick. She was also a Secular Franciscan.

She is credited with "The Twelve Year Prayers on the Passion of Jesus" - a formidable prayer commitment!. She also gave us the "Seven Sorrows of Mary," a daily devotion involving meditating on the sorrows, and reciting a Hail Mary with each.

There are promises that go along with this devotion:

Seven Promises to those who meditate on Our Lady’s Seven Sorrows:

The Blessed Virgin Mary grants seven graces to the souls who honor her daily by meditating on her seven sorrows. The Hail Mary is prayed seven times, once after each meditation.

1. "I will grant peace to their families."

2. "They will be enlightened about the Divine Mysteries."

3. "I will console them in their pains and I will accompany them in their work.”

4. "I will give them as much as they ask for as long as it does not oppose the adorable will of my Divine Son or the sanctification of their souls."

5. "I will defend them in their spiritual battles with the infernal enemy and I will protect them at every instant of their lives."

6. "I will visibly help them at the moment of their death. They will see the face of their Mother.”

7. "I have obtained this grace from my divine Son, that those who propagate this devotion to my tears and dolors, will be taken directly from this earthly life to eternal happiness since all their sins will be forgiven and my Son and I will be their eternal consolation and joy."

The Seven Sorrows (as described by the DuPage Marian Center) are: 

First Sorrow: Simeon's prophecy that a sword will pierce Mary's heart. Hail Mary ...

Second Sorrow: The Flight into Egypt. Hail Mary ...

Third Sorrow: The loss of the Child Jesus in the Temple of Jerusalem. Hail Mary ... 

Fourth Sorrow: The meeting of Jesus and Mary on the Way of the Cross. Hail Mary ...

Fifth Sorrow: Mary witnesses the Crucifixion and the death of Jesus on the Cross. Hail Mary ... 

Sixth Sorrow: The dead Body of Jesus is taken down and laid in the arms of His Holy Mother. Hail Mary ...

Seventh Sorrow: The Burial of Jesus, with Mary's tears and loneliness. Hail Mary ...

The promises are appealing. But the more important aspect is that this is an easy way to pray - a devotion that, once memorized, can be done at any time and in any place. I have begun to use this as part of my daily prayers.

We all need more prayer in our spiritual lives.

Pax et bonum

Mayor Lovely Warren Asks for Volunteers

"I need a scapegoat."



"You'll do."

Pax et bonum

Plagiarism in Joe Biden's 1988 presidential campaign

Pax et bonum

The Idiot (Dostoyevsky)

I just finished The Idiot by Fyodor Dostoyevsky. It's been on my list for a long time, having read and enjoyed Crime and Punishment and The Brothers Karamazov years ago.

I liked the book - though I admit it was a heavy read! I recognize there is truth to his basic premise that the world will try to destroy someone as innocent, as Christ-like as Prince Myshkin. That the Prince is "broken" is not a surprise - that has happened to Christ and many saints over the years. And the Prince did have a positive effect on many people's lives - as also did Christ and the saints. 

But I guess I find his ending a bit too dark.  Christ was ultimately triumphant, and the saints entered eternal glory. An institute in Switzerland is nice, but not quite "glory." 

Still, a good read. I recommend it. Prince Myshkin will linger in my thoughts.

But for now, I think I will seek out some shorter, lighter fare! 

Maybe  good mystery story. 

Pax et bonum

Liberal Fanatics - Peter Maurin Easy Essay

The present would be different if
     they had made the past different.
The future would be different if
     we made the present different.
But to make the present different,
     people must give up the old trick and
     start to play new tricks.
But it takes fanatics to give up
     old tricks and play new tricks.
And liberals are so liberal about
     everything that they cannot become
     fanatics about anything.
And because they cannot become
     fanatics about anything, they cannot be
     liberators, they can only be liberals.
Liberals don't care to be known
     as fanatics, but they are the worst kind
     of fanatics.
They don't care to be religious,
     philosophical or economic fanatics and
     don't mind being liberal fanatics.

(A later version of this Easy Essay concluded with this line:
"And liberals are so  broadminded that they don't seem to be able to make up their minds.")

- From the book The Forgotten Radical Peter Maurin: Easy Essays from the Catholic Worker, edited by Lincoln Rice

Pax et bonum

Trump’s Decision to Defund International Planned Parenthood Cost Abortion Biz Over $100 Million

Trump’s Decision to Defund International Planned Parenthood Cost Abortion Biz Over $100 Million: A review of President Trump’s expanded Mexico City policy reveals that the U.S. has maintained global health assistance to 98 percent of the overseas healthcare ...



  Pax et bonum

Country Roads - The Petersons

Pax et bonum

Enter the Dagon Trailer

https://youtu.be/fWrsz2zKYBA



 Pax et bonum

Swedenborg 29

Art entered Sohner’s office. Sohner’s face looked as grim as he had sounded when he’d called.

Art thought about sitting, but Sohner’s glare stopped him.

“We have a problem,” Sohner snapped.

Art’s mind raced. The girl was dead. He had Stas, as unreliable as he was becoming, watching Frank. What was he missing?

“Yes?”

“Plantir.”

Ah.

“Word has gotten back to me,” Sohner continued, “that he has been contacting more of our former test subjects.”

“There’s nothing to find.”

“He doesn’t have to find anything. Some of our funding sources are not comfortable with negative publicity.”

“McMann is a good friend of his,” Art suggested. “Perhaps it’s not wise to pursue him as a test subject.”

“No, that’s a risk we must take,” Sohner said. “He has … something. He might be what we need.”

“What do you want me to do? He’s a public figure, and his opposition to us is known. It might be risky.”

“Yes, nothing extreme. But something needs to be done.”

Art waited for more. The look on Sohner's face told him htere will be nothing more. 

“Leave it to me. I’ll come up with something.”

He quickly left the office.

Nothing extreme, he thought. At least nothing extreme that could be traced back to him or INS.

Then he smiled. A solution to the problem of the party and to Plantir. He left the building to make the call. So that it couldn’t be traced somehow.

Pax et bonum

The Donkey (Chesterton)

The Donkey

By G. K. Chesterton

When fishes flew and forests walked   And figs grew upon thorn,

Some moment when the moon was blood   Then surely I was born.

With monstrous head and sickening cry   And ears like errant wings,

The devil’s walking parody   On all four-footed things.T

The tattered outlaw of the earth,   Of ancient crooked will;

Starve, scourge, deride me: I am dumb,   I keep my secret still.

Fools! For I also had my hour;   One far fierce hour and sweet:

There was a shout about my ears,   And palms before my feet.

Pax et bonum

Swedenborg 28

Her clothes were still damp, but Sharon did not want to wait for that strange man to return. She could hang them in the apartment. She had hurriedly piled the clothes in her basket and went out to her car.

As she drove away she glanced to see the man return to the laundromat.

He reminded her of the addicts who came to the health center. But there was something more. Mental illness?

She had to stop at a red light. Even though she was well away from the laundromat, she glanced in her rear view mirror, half expecting to see the man. Or his eyes.

The light turned. She drove on to her street and found a parking spot. Before she got out of the car she scanned the street. No sign of him. She got out of her car, and started to take the basket out.

“Hello,” a man said.

She started and turned suddenly, her fist clenched.

Frank smiled.

“I didn’t mean to startle you.”

He looked familiar. Then she remembered the accident on the street.

“I, I …,” she stammered.

“We met on the street. That accident.”

“Yes. I remember.”

He smiled. “It was a terrible way to meet, but it’s nice to see you again. I’m Frank”

She smiled hesitantly. “Sharon. It’s good to see you again.”

“Do you live around here?”

She felt her defenses rising. I don’t know him, she thought.

“Do you?” she asked.

“No. I’m visiting a friend.”

As he said it, he suddenly thought about Joe. A friend? Yes, that seemed right.

“He’s having a party,” he added. “I’m helping him get ready. I just had to run out to get some things he forgot.”

“That’s nice of you.”

He wasn’t sure what to say. Then he blurted, “It’s kind of a big deal for him. Professor Staples, Jack Staples, the writer, maybe you’ve heard of him? Anyway, he’s coming, and Joe, that’s my friend, he’s a big fan of his. It’s not going to be a “party” party. Pretty low key. Pretty straight really. Book talk and maybe chess.”

He laughed self consciously. He felt himself blushing. Idiot, he thought.

“I’ve heard of Staples,” she said. “I have a book of his I was thinking of reading.”

“Hey, if you live near here, you could come and meet him. Joe wouldn’t mind.”

“I don’t know.”

“No, really. Joe is one of those guys who welcomes everyone. He’d be interested in your work and all. And you’d get to meet Staples. Besides, I owe you a drink.”

“Maybe. I’ll think about it.”

Frank took out a notebook and scribbled the address.

“If you decide to, come on over. I think people will start arriving around 7.”

“Maybe,” she said again. She lifted her laundry. “Some of this is still damp. I need to get it hung up.”

“Yeah. See you later, I hope,” he said.

She watched him walk away. He turned and smiled.

He is cute in an offbeat way, she thought.

He was having his own thoughts.

He pictured her face in his mind. She was smiling. He liked her smile. Then the image of Lilly popped into his head. He felt a stirring of the desire he’d felt the night before.

He tried not to think of Lilly. He looked back.

Sharon was gone.

He wondered which apartment was hers.

He turned the corner and headed for the store. A disturbed-looking man was walking toward him. The man was glancing quickly at all the women, smiling in a crooked way. Their eyes met.

Frank felt a sudden chill.

He’s watching you.

As suddenly as he remembered the words, the man turned his eyes away.

The man passed him. Frank turned quickly and glanced at him.

The man stopped, looked across the street, and then turned quickly, catching Frank looking at him. The man smiled, then scowled and turned, heading down the street.

I hope he doesn’t show up at the party, Frank thought.

Pax et bonum

Library : Peace with the Creator, Harmony with Creation - Pope Francis

Library : Peace with the Creator, Harmony with Creation



 Pax et bonum

I Go Among the Trees (Berry)

I Go Among Trees

by Wendell Berry

I go among trees and sit still.
All my stirring becomes quiet
around me like circles on water.
My tasks lie in their places
where I left them, asleep like cattle.

Then what is afraid of me comes
and lives a while in my sight.
What it fears in me leaves me,
and the fear of me leaves it.
It sings, and I hear its song.

Then what I am afraid of comes.
I live for a while in its sight.
What I fear in it leaves it,
and the fear of it leaves me.
It sings, and I hear its song.

After days of labor,
mute in my consternations,
I hear my song at last,
and I sing it. As we sing,
the day turns, the trees move.

- From This Day: Collected & New Sabbath Poems

Pax et bonum

Vatican Releases Video on Pope's Encyclical

Pax et bonum

Three Scifaiku

apocalypse comes -
our final embrace will last
an eternity 

the dentist recoils
as back at him from the mouth
stares two bloodshot eyes

pandemic bright side -
gives NASA chance to practice
post-Mars quarantines



Pax et bonum

Death Penalty Revision (Catholic Teachings)

The Supreme Pontiff Francis, in the audience granted on 11 May 2018 to the undersigned Prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, has approved the following new draft of no. 2267 of the Catechism of the Catholic Church, arranging for it to be translated into various languages and inserted in all the editions of the aforementioned Catechism.

The death penalty

2267. Recourse to the death penalty on the part of legitimate authority, following a fair trial, was long considered an appropriate response to the gravity of certain crimes and an acceptable, albeit extreme, means of safeguarding the common good.

Today, however, there is an increasing awareness that the dignity of the person is not lost even after the commission of very serious crimes. In addition, a new understanding has emerged of the significance of penal sanctions imposed by the state. Lastly, more effective systems of detention have been developed, which ensure the due protection of citizens but, at the same time, do not definitively deprive the guilty of the possibility of redemption.

Consequently, the Church teaches, in the light of the Gospel, that “the death penalty is inadmissible because it is an attack on the inviolability and dignity of the person”,[1] and she works with determination for its abolition worldwide.

Pax et bonum