It little profits that an idle man
By a still press, with a half-empty can
Of beer should undertake a survey of his life.
One might as well carve water with a knife,
And water passeth underneath a bridge.
He flushes and returneth to the fridge.
The long day wanes. The game shows now begin.
The existential question—switch to gin?
It is the evening makes him think this way,
As repetitious as a roundelay.
He can’t stay up too late, can’t see the stars,
The doctors have forbidden him cigars.
Old age hath yet its honor and its trauma,
From scheming poets and their endless drama,
Their endless readings and their endless woes,
Self-laureled poets with their souls of prose.
No blinded Cyclops roaring in a rage
Is half as awful as some poet’s page.
Such steady service to the Thankless Muse
Would drive a less heroic man to booze.
(A recreation he can’t even try;
His poet friends have drunk his cellar dry.)
But wise Ulysses sees his shelf and smiles.
The books he printed are his Happy Isles.
Turn off the screen, and let the low skies darken.
Time to reread Dick Wilbur, Kees, and Larkin.
Though much is taken, he will undertake—
For Dianne and his worthy spirit’s sake—
To strive, to seek, to find, and not to growse,
Or let another poet in the house.
Feeling good about feeling bad, or how guilt can make you better WaPo
Time by a river is rarely wasted
It was a time for thinking, reading and reflecting by the Cam this morning: This bench provided somewhere to sit. The view down the river
Muhammed Ali not having any of it.
Cannes Film Festival
Can shame help us become better people?“In Confucianism, shame is a crucial tool that leads you toward your best self, and you have more power over it than you know.”
You might want to pour yourself a cold glass of rosé before you begin browsing this post, maybe play some Jacques Brel; it only seems right. I left Paris and floated down south this weekend in search of sun, sea and Provençale pastels. Join me for a little tour of a ridiculously charming village or two…
MICROBIOME NEWS: New Research Suggests That Your Gut Bacteria Could Impact Your Decision-Making.