Poetic Ramblings, Too

October 6, 2010 D.A. Adams Leave a comment

Again, I’m no poet, but this one is for my baby boy:

For Finn

My little bruiser,
I see you at one,
grabbing my pants at the knees
for me to lift you.
Looking down at your face
is like looking into a mirror
back through time
before these scars and lines.

We are on my porch swing.
Your head rests on my shoulder,
and I feel your soft breath
through my shirt.
I’m singing lullabies to you,
but at two you still fight sleep,
so we swing for an hour,
and I sing you every song I know.

My little clone,
we are in the pool.
You cling to me
like a cat not wanting to leave the sofa,
at three still scared to float alone
even with a life jacket.
You squeal with delight
at every bounce we take,
and I’m glad the water
hides my tears.
Our time is always so short.

My youngest boy,
my Finnster,
your voice is the sweetest sound
on this Earth, so ethereal, so tender.
Your laughter pieces back together
these fragments of my heart.
My son, I never believed I was handsome
until I saw your face.

General Posts

Wednesday Morning Ramblings

October 6, 2010 D.A. Adams Leave a comment

Here’s an update on my venture into running: When I first started, I could barely complete 1/6 of a mile. Now, my routine has become walk a mile, run 1/3, walk a mile, run 1/3, walk a mile, run 1/3, for a total of four miles. Currently, I complete this routine in about an hour and five minutes, which averages to walking a mile in 19 minutes and running each 1/3 in less than 3:45. I know these times are still really slow, but I feel my endurance coming back and some strength returning to my legs, so I hope to get the walking down to fifteen and the running to around 3:00. Ultimately, my goal is to build up to three consecutive miles running in thirty minutes. It will take me a little while to get there, but I will do it.

So far, I’ve lost a couple of inches around the waist, but my weight hasn’t come down any, so I’m hoping that I’m just building back some muscles. My blood pressure is still too high, so I really need to get this weight off me. I’m making some adjustments in my diet and will continue running as often as I can. Overall, I feel pretty healthy, but the blood pressure is still worrying me.

Also, the farm is still progressing forward, albeit slowly. This semester has been so brutal that I barely have time to get there and do anything, but I hope to stay on schedule and get the first test crop started in January. I’m very excited about the possibilities there. We shall see.

Humor

Clueless Ramblings

October 5, 2010 D.A. Adams Leave a comment

Not too long ago, I got to interview a group of college students who were enraged over what they felt was an important issue. The students, ranging in ages from 18-21, all belonged to PETA (for those of you who don’t know, that’s People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals) and were students at the University of California at Berkley. When I met up with them, they were preparing to embark on an important journey. I asked them to explain their choices.

“Well, like, we were watching videos on You Tube,” said Toby McNoclue. “And we came across this nature video. It was disturbing.”

“Yeah,” added Jessica Dogooder, jumping in. “I couldn’t believe the cruelty.”

I probed deeper to get more answers.

“Like, there were these lions, and they were like totally eating this zebra,” interjected Holly Erehead.

“Yeah, and like that poor zebra was still alive and everything,” Bradley Gowidacrowd chimed in. “It was completely gross. Really.”

“That poor zebra had feelings, and those lions just ignored the impact their actions were having on the zebra’s emotional state,” stated Dr. Jen TouchyFeely, faculty sponsor for the campus charter of PETA. “These students are showing tremendous leadership by standing up for their ideals.”

I asked what the students planned to do.

“Well,” Jessica said, speaking for the group. “We’re flying to Africa to form a protest against the lions, like, demanding that they totally respect other beings’ rights to life.

“We hope to convince the lions to stop eating that disgusting meat and become vegans like us,” Toby McNoclue added.

Concerned for their well-being, I asked the students if they believed that their protest was well thought through.

“You’re like just too close-minded to believe in the power of change,” Jessica Dogooder returned. “It’s white bigots like you who totally trample the rights of other nationalities.”

Accepting their criticism with my usual Irish grace and composure, I wished the charming young folks well on their trip.

“You’ll see,” McNoclue said. “Our generation is totally gonna change this world because we totally understand technology. Like, when I was playing Farmville, I totally learned how to grow enough food to feed the entire world.”

The students all high-fived each other and their faculty sponsor and left for the airport. Naturally, I returned to my close-minded existence in Tennessee, but I left the meeting feeling a little more optimistic about the future thanks to the wide-eyed wonder of young people with an optimistic vision of the future.

(Editor’s Note: This piece was composed several weeks ago and was set to run simultaneously with the students’ return from Africa this month. However, our staff has been unable to reach any of the students in their remote village. While neither Dr. TouchyFeely nor their parents have had any contact with any of the students since their plane first landed, she assures our staff that they are simply too focused on their good works to answer their phones, log into Facebook, or return emails.)