tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4320479736034351430.post5362842650369833108..comments2023-10-03T07:01:41.144-05:00Comments on Always On Watch: Semper Vigilans: SilhouetteAlways On Watchhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08192688822955022541noreply@blogger.comBlogger26125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4320479736034351430.post-90956207255652902422014-11-24T02:43:36.112-06:002014-11-24T02:43:36.112-06:00FT,
My mother used to sing this to me...
My mothe...FT,<br /><i>My mother used to sing this to me...</i><br /><br />My mother and grandmother sang the song to me, too. I wonder if the tune was the same as the version you heard. <a href="http://youtu.be/VtdC4If0tyM" rel="nofollow">This</a> is the tune that my mother and grandmother used.<br /><br />Always On Watchhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08192688822955022541noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4320479736034351430.post-29573454094651054932014-11-23T23:00:22.376-06:002014-11-23T23:00:22.376-06:00Yes we should. ;)
JMJYes we should. ;)<br /><br />JMJJersey McJoneshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15426560061830038806noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4320479736034351430.post-30120413647214402982014-11-23T22:33:57.713-06:002014-11-23T22:33:57.713-06:00_____ The Wind and the Leaves _____
Come, little ...<b>_____ The Wind and the Leaves _____<br /><br /><i>Come, little leaves, said the wind one day,<br />Over the meadows with me and play.<br />Put on your dresses of scarlet and gold,<br />Summer is gone and the wind grows cold.<br /><br />As soon as the leaves heard the wind’s loud call,<br />Down they came fluttering one and all;<br />Over the brown fields they danced and flew<br />Singing the soft little sings they knew.<br /><br />Crickets, good bye we’ve been friends so long.<br />Little ones, sing us your farewell song;<br />Say you are sorry to see us go. <br />Ah! You will miss us, right well we know.<br /><br />Dear little lambs, in your fleecy fold<br />Mother will keep you from harm and cold;<br />Fondly we’ve watched you in vale and glade<br />Say, you will dream of our loving shade/<br /><br />Dancing and whirling, the little leaves went: <br />Winter had called them, and they were content.<br /> Soon fast asleep in their earthly beds, <br />The snow laid a coverlet over their heads.</i></b><br /><br />~ Anonymous<br /><br />My mother used to sing this to me when I was a small boy. As far as i knew, she was the only one who knew it, and then one day -- decades later -- it appeared as the background to a hand-cut silhouette of Christopher Robin playing amidst falling leaves one of my clients gave me out of gratitude for a series of ads I'd created for her Arts & Crafts shop. <br /><br />It was as though my mother. who ad died of a sudden heart attack ten years earlier were giving me her blessing from beyond the grave. Probably the nicest gift I've ever received.<br />FreeThinkehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16682678301019952436noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4320479736034351430.post-24179118063591449922014-11-23T22:11:24.949-06:002014-11-23T22:11:24.949-06:00am putting together a kind of anthology for Christ...am putting together a kind of anthology for Christmas presents...I can't believe how much I used to write as I find more and more in my computer files; I don't anymore at all, just cleaning my old stuff up to print.<br />THanks, AOW.....<br />thanks also for sharing your photo!Zhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15989573357446569262noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4320479736034351430.post-63327520669299158592014-11-23T22:10:56.446-06:002014-11-23T22:10:56.446-06:00___ SNOW HAIKU ___
Fresh snow at sunset
Trees gli...<b>___ SNOW HAIKU ___<br /><br /><i>Fresh snow at sunset<br />Trees glistening quietly<br />In pink and copper tones.<br /><br />Snow covered branches<br />Thaw, then turn to crystal lace<br />Gleaming in sun light.<br /><br />Melting on the ground<br />As snow deserts the branches<br />Black twigs claw the sky.</i></b><br /><br />~ FT (11/23/14)<br />FreeThinkehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16682678301019952436noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4320479736034351430.post-483236691627634732014-11-23T22:00:02.128-06:002014-11-23T22:00:02.128-06:00What a lovely last hurrah of brilliance your tree ...What a lovely last hurrah of brilliance your tree must be when you come home in the late fall. I love looking out on my own orange, banana and palm trees. But it's just not the same majesty or milestone of the season.Baysiderhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13562129788572031587noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4320479736034351430.post-50935852720160819692014-11-23T21:22:34.973-06:002014-11-23T21:22:34.973-06:00If so, Jersey, we should regard them as very fortu...If so, Jersey, we should regard them as very fortunate. ;-)FreeThinkehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16682678301019952436noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4320479736034351430.post-26832766018196238902014-11-23T20:58:17.645-06:002014-11-23T20:58:17.645-06:00There's probably little bugs, that live under ...There's probably little bugs, that live under that tree, and that view of the sky is the only one they ever know.<br /><br />JMJJersey McJoneshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15426560061830038806noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4320479736034351430.post-1990334862535927022014-11-23T18:44:23.343-06:002014-11-23T18:44:23.343-06:00_______ The Linden Tree _______
Before the city ...<b>_______ The Linden Tree _______<br /><br /><br /><i>Before the city walls there is a well<br /> A Linden-tree stands there<br /> Many times I've sought its shade<br /> A place of rest and pleasant dreams<br /><br /> When dreaming there I carved <br />Some words of love upon the bark<br /> Both joy and sorrow <br />Drew me to that shady spot <br /><br /> But today I must wander<br /> Through this blackest night<br /> In darkness I passed this tree<br /> But couldn't bear to look <br /><br />I heard the branches rustle<br /> As if they spoke to me<br /> Come to me my old friend<br /> Find peace with me<br /><br /> Cruel winds were blowing <br />Coldly cutting my face<br /> My hat was blown behind me<br /><br />I quickly sped on my way<br /> I'm now many miles distant<br /> From that dear old Linden-tree<br /> But I still hear it whisper<br /><br />"Come -- find peace with me."</i></b><br /><br /><br />~ Wilhelm Mueller (English translation)<br /><br />From Winterreise (Winter Journey)<br /><br /><br />Hear it sung by Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau<br /><br /><br />https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NXBNePEDTEoFreeThinkehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16682678301019952436noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4320479736034351430.post-51556546368468362842014-11-23T18:36:48.171-06:002014-11-23T18:36:48.171-06:00Z,
Thank you so much for your contributions to thi...Z,<br />Thank you so much for your contributions to this thread. I love original verse! I'm a terrible poet myself.Always On Watchhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08192688822955022541noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4320479736034351430.post-31391785693168262442014-11-23T17:09:34.263-06:002014-11-23T17:09:34.263-06:00What fun...a "Poetry Off!" (like a cook ...What fun...a "Poetry Off!" (like a cook off?!)<br /><br />lines from another of mine which Jen reminded me off with her comment:<br /><br />"Through the pattern of leaves<br />shimmering above me,<br />the 2 o'clock sun<br />made my eyelids<br />a burnt orange kaleidoscope,<br />and maple leaf boats floated <br />in a harbor full of leaves <br />against the heavy paperblue sky above me"<br /><br />nothing like laying with a horsehair field of grass on your back and looking up through a tree's leaves.<br />Zhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15989573357446569262noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4320479736034351430.post-56715761609968811872014-11-23T16:08:06.440-06:002014-11-23T16:08:06.440-06:00You shold trust your eye more, AOW.
It's bette...You shold trust your eye more, AOW.<br />It's better developed than you think.Ducky's herehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14608115001116619877noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4320479736034351430.post-20112058825199209182014-11-23T16:07:03.111-06:002014-11-23T16:07:03.111-06:00The leaves will fall.
Something about raking leav...The leaves will fall.<br /><br />Something about raking leaves. I find it very peaceful and calming.<br />Nothing like clearing snow.Ducky's herehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14608115001116619877noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4320479736034351430.post-27641706480858300412014-11-23T14:57:07.095-06:002014-11-23T14:57:07.095-06:00Jen,
I don't take many photos worthy of postin...Jen,<br />I don't take many photos worthy of posting on the web. Always On Watchhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08192688822955022541noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4320479736034351430.post-46359978408697812772014-11-23T14:29:46.874-06:002014-11-23T14:29:46.874-06:00FT,
That one goes so well with the photo! Thank y...FT,<br />That one goes so well with the photo! Thank you!Always On Watchhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08192688822955022541noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4320479736034351430.post-10436490678752742632014-11-23T14:29:07.439-06:002014-11-23T14:29:07.439-06:00FT,
So glad that you stopped by to add more verse!...FT,<br />So glad that you stopped by to add more verse! <br /><br />Frost's "Birches" is a classic, and we always discuss that poem in American Literature class. So much in there!Always On Watchhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08192688822955022541noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4320479736034351430.post-86023258201784042622014-11-23T13:31:12.193-06:002014-11-23T13:31:12.193-06:00hey AOW! HAPPY THANKSGIVING my friend..hugss!!:)...hey AOW! HAPPY THANKSGIVING my friend..hugss!!:)WomanHonorThyselfhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17211851365273181636noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4320479736034351430.post-65635949760096817082014-11-23T13:04:45.613-06:002014-11-23T13:04:45.613-06:00Another tree-related favorite from childhood:
How...Another tree-related favorite from childhood:<br /><br /><i>How would you like to go up in a swing,<br />Up in the air so blue?<br />Oh, I do think it's the pleasantest thing<br />Ever a child can do!<br /><br />Up in the air and over the wall,<br />Till I can see so wide,<br />Rivers and trees and cattle and all<br />Over the countryside <br /><br />Till I look down on the garden green,<br />Down on the roof so brown<br />Up in the air I go flying again,<br />Up in the air and down!</i><br /><br />~ Robert Louis Stevenson - A Child's Garden of VersesFreeThinkehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16682678301019952436noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4320479736034351430.post-74435269205055333042014-11-23T12:56:22.797-06:002014-11-23T12:56:22.797-06:00Oh, I love this perspective. Reminds me of sittin...Oh, I love this perspective. Reminds me of sitting under a good shade tree. Thanks for the nudge, AOW. :-)Jenhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02531079334473031464noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4320479736034351430.post-32348279336459039722014-11-23T12:08:13.788-06:002014-11-23T12:08:13.788-06:00Beautiful shot, AOW. I never get tired of taking ...Beautiful shot, AOW. I never get tired of taking pictures of trees. Adriennehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01562944653624224107noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4320479736034351430.post-84044420019764439382014-11-23T10:14:30.186-06:002014-11-23T10:14:30.186-06:00... As I looked toward Birnam, anon me thought,
T...<i> ... As I looked toward Birnam, anon me thought, <br />The wood began to move ...</i><br /><br />~ Shakespeare - Macbeth<br /><br />I can never think of that short phrase without getting goose bumps.FreeThinkehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16682678301019952436noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4320479736034351430.post-25369477357316575972014-11-23T10:08:09.714-06:002014-11-23T10:08:09.714-06:00______ BIRCHES _____
When I see birches bend to ...<b>______ BIRCHES _____<br /><br /><br /><i>When I see birches bend to left and right<br />Across the lines of straighter darker trees,<br />I like to think some boy's been swinging them.<br />But swinging doesn't bend them down to stay<br />As ice-storms do. Often you must have seen them<br />Loaded with ice a sunny winter morning<br />After a rain. They click upon themselves<br />As the breeze rises, and turn many-colored<br />As the stir cracks and crazes their enamel.<br />Soon the sun's warmth makes them shed crystal shells<br />Shattering and avalanching on the snow-crust—<br />Such heaps of broken glass to sweep away<br />You'd think the inner dome of heaven had fallen.<br />They are dragged to the withered bracken by the load,<br />And they seem not to break; though once they are bowed<br />So low for long, they never right themselves:<br />You may see their trunks arching in the woods<br />Years afterwards, trailing their leaves on the ground<br />Like girls on hands and knees that throw their hair<br />Before them over their heads to dry in the sun.<br />But I was going to say when Truth broke in<br />With all her matter-of-fact about the ice-storm<br />I should prefer to have some boy bend them<br />As he went out and in to fetch the cows—<br />Some boy too far from town to learn baseball,<br />Whose only play was what he found himself,<br />Summer or winter, and could play alone.<br />One by one he subdued his father's trees<br />By riding them down over and over again<br />Until he took the stiffness out of them,<br />And not one but hung limp, not one was left<br />For him to conquer. He learned all there was<br />To learn about not launching out too soon<br />And so not carrying the tree away<br />Clear to the ground. He always kept his poise<br />To the top branches, climbing carefully<br />With the same pains you use to fill a cup<br />Up to the brim, and even above the brim.<br />Then he flung outward, feet first, with a swish,<br />Kicking his way down through the air to the ground.<br />So was I once myself a swinger of birches.<br />And so I dream of going back to be.<br />It's when I'm weary of considerations,<br />And life is too much like a pathless wood<br />Where your face burns and tickles with the cobwebs<br />Broken across it, and one eye is weeping<br />From a twig's having lashed across it open.<br />I'd like to get away from earth awhile<br />And then come back to it and begin over.<br />May no fate willfully misunderstand me<br />And half grant what I wish and snatch me away<br />Not to return. Earth's the right place for love:<br />I don't know where it's likely to go better.<br />I'd like to go by climbing a birch tree,<br />And climb black branches up a snow-white trunk<br />Toward heaven, till the tree could bear no more,<br />But dipped its top and set me down again.<br />That would be good both going and coming back.<br />One could do worse than be a swinger of birches.</i></b><br /><br /><br />~ Robert Frost (1874-1963)<br />FreeThinkehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16682678301019952436noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4320479736034351430.post-23771952416780493262014-11-23T09:58:38.696-06:002014-11-23T09:58:38.696-06:00Oft in the night
I see the shadows of the trees
O...<i>Oft in the night <br />I see the shadows of the trees<br />On my bare chamber walls ––<br /><br />Silhouettes dancing ––<br />Dancing in strange and secret rhythm ––<br />To the restless music of the Wind.</i><br /><br />~ FreeThinke (1961)FreeThinkehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16682678301019952436noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4320479736034351430.post-41251434231791876572014-11-23T09:54:52.376-06:002014-11-23T09:54:52.376-06:00... Rhymes are made by fools like me,
But only God...<i>... Rhymes are made by fools like me,<br />But only God can make a tree.</i><br /><br />~ Joyce KilmerAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4320479736034351430.post-15924814240612455902014-11-23T06:20:51.821-06:002014-11-23T06:20:51.821-06:00The Oak tree. The tree that endures.The Oak tree. The tree that endures.Bunkervillehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14427978686579892380noreply@blogger.com