Poems Revised!

Ark of the Sap
Amber flows as sticky resin traps tiny life
Bound 50 million years in a sun-gold sarcophagus.
Small insects, plant debris perfectly preserved.

Washed ashore by tides, mined from caves.
Past civilizations shaped it into jewelry,
carved it into art, threaded it into clothing.

Now experts explore its hidden secrets.
DNA from beasts of 10,000 millennia?
Ancient cures? Or, just bugs in plastic?

Precise science engages, locks turn.
Seals slipped on nature’s Ark of the Sap.
Yielding the unknown, the untold


Bladerunner
Choppy foot-falls clang a running start
Racing skate blades slice ice razor clean
Quick-shift now to rhythmic cadence.

Whispering strides carving oval curves,
Stroke, glide, foot follows foot frictionless.
Athletic frame formed in body-tight suit.

Bell sounds, last round, finish bound
Pace fast, final pass, who’ll last?
Muscled legs beg heart for more, more.

Line crossed, arms aloft, cheers resound.
Winner crowned with gold prize renowned.
Conquering warrior claiming rightful reward.

Losing Olympic Virginity

I have a case of the Olympic blues. Just the other day, a friend said that after 25 years of watching the Olympics, her response this time did not seem as enthusiastic and intense as in the previous Olympics. She wondered if it was due to just getting older, we’re both in our 50’s, or were the games losing some of their sheen.

I don’t think it’s so much that we are getting older, but wiser in the ways of the . Olympics. We’ve watched these games for 25-30 years, so the expectations we might carry into a new Olympics are based on all that past experience.

We lost our Olympic virginity a long time ago.

For example, I set my standard for ice dancing on the 1984 Olympic performance by the British duo of Jayne Torvill and Christopher Dean, who just about melted the ice with their steamy routine to Maurice Revel’s "Bolero" on Valentine's Day. So flawless was their performance that they received perfect 6.0s across the board for artistic impression, an achievement which has never been duplicated. So, imagine my disappointment this year with seeing several of the couples fall or give incomplete routines.

That’s why the attraction for me is what I call “the uncertainty of outcome”. For example, Monday night, the Hungarian ice dancing pair Nora Hoffmann and Attila Elek attempted what NBC commentator Dick Buttons referred to as “a sacrilege” by using “Bolero” for their program. Although all agreed it was a good performance, it lacked the intensity and vigor of the Torvill-Dean program. Hoffmann-Eleke finished in 11th place.

Then there is U.S. skier Bode Miller, who was expected to capture at least three gold medals in Alpine skiing competition. In actuality, the best Miller has done, so far, in any event is fifth place, and was disqualified in two of the five events. But that opened the door for Austrian Ben Raich, who came from fifth place in the early races to win the gold medal in giant slalom. Miller has one more event, the Super GS this Saturday, but even a gold medal there won’t redeem his reputation.

My advice: choose very carefully which of the remaining events to watch.

Say What You Mean, Do What You Say

Your Word is Your Word: Be precise in what you say. Speak with integrity. Say only what you mean. Avoid using the word to speak against yourself or to gossip about others. Use the power of your word in the direction of truth and love.

Be proactive: This is the ability to control one's environment, rather than have it control you, as is so often the case. Self determination, choice, and the power to decide response to stimulus, conditions and circumstances.

It’s not personal: Nothing others do is because of you. What others say and do is a projection of their own reality, their own dream. When you are immune to the opinions and actions of others, you won’t be the victim of needless suffering.

Stay focused: Develop personal leadership - leading oneself that is, towards what you consider your aims. By developing the habit of concentrating on relevant activities you will build a platform to avoid distractions and become more productive and successful.


Otherwise it's pretty routine
So far, it’s been a pretty light-weight week for me; the outlook for the weekend looks the same. Some overdue cleanup around the house and some drywall patching keep me busy, So, it‘s been the games; The Olympic Games that are my primary occupation.

I‘ve been watching a ton of Olympic events at all hours of the day and night. Cross-country ski sprints on Tuesday were quite exciting. Very close finishes in both the men’s and women’s events with the Swedish teams winning gold medals in both divisions.

Except for one or two outstanding performances, pairs and individual figure skating has not been up to par form me. Too many mistakes, falls and incomplete routines makes it seem more like an exhibition than a competition. Still, it’s worthwhile watching

When in Rome...!

A Long, Long Time Ago

What we now call Valentine's Day has its origins in the fourth century B.C. Back then, the Romans engaged in an annual young man's rite to passage to the God Lupercus. The names of the teenage women were placed in a box and drawn at random by adolescent men; thus, a man was assigned a woman companion for the duration of the year, after which another lottery was staged.

After eight hundred years of this cruel practice, the early church fathers sought to end this practice... They found an answer in Valentine, a bishop who had been martyred some two hundred years earlier.According to church tradition St. Valentine was a priest near Rome in about the year 270 A.D. At that time the Roman Emperor Claudius-II who had issued an edict forbidding marriage.

This was around when the heyday of Roman empire had almost come to an end. Lack of quality administrators led to frequent civil strife. Learning declined, taxation increased, and trade slumped to a low, precarious level. And the Gauls, Slavs, Huns, Turks and Mongolians from Northern Europe and Asian increased their pressure on the empire's boundaries. The empire was grown too large to be shielded from external aggression and internal chaos with existing forces.

Thus more of capable men were required to be recruited as soldiers and officers. When Claudius became the emperor, he felt that married men were more emotionally attached to their families, and thus, will not make good soldiers. So to assure quality soldiers, he banned marriage.Valentine, a bishop , seeing the trauma of young lovers, met them in a secret place, and joined them in the sacrament of matrimony.

Claudius learned of this "friend of lovers," and had him arrested. The emperor, impressed with the young priest's dignity and conviction, attempted to convert him to the roman gods, to save him from certain execution. Valentine refused to recognize Roman Gods and even attempted to convert the emperor, knowing the consequences fully.On February 24, 270, Valentine was executed.

The Sports Calendar Is Full!

My attention is split in several directions currently, but sports is starting to take priority.

Super Bowl Sunday is at hand, although I could care less for pro football (Steelers by 7 points). I'll be out with friends at a Super Bowl party, so it's the food and friendship that interests me.

A few weeks ago, I watch the AFC-NFC championships with several friends. I was going back and forth cheering on the Steelers with Tom and Charles, and then heading to the dining room for tea and cake with Lynn and Priscilla while reading my poems to them.

On Saturdays, I toggle the TV remote between NCAA basketball and NHL hockey with several games on from noon through 6 p.m. Not much gets done around here on the weekends.

Next Friday, the Winter Olympics from Turino, Italy begin. I enjoy most the speed skating, bobsled, luge, all downhill and cross-country skiing, including biathalon.

In between, I'll be checking the race sheets to see how the ponies are running at the various tracks as a prelude to the Triple Crown. I went to the 2005 Kentucky Derby, and have visited several well known race tracks in previous years.

The Dickens you say! Yes, I'm currently watchig the six-part Masterpiece Theatre presentation of Charles Dickens Bleak House on PBS. It's terrific! I highly recommend it, although it's moving in the past three this Sunday. You can catch up with it at www.pbs.org/wgbh/masterpiece .