I have one reader of the following find it funny and I hope everyone else does. Being taken seriously is dull,.

Eyes Swollen Shut

I had my eyebrows waxed.
The result was excellent except
that a reaction to the wax or
the cream applied after caused
my eyelids to swell shut.

So it is with the man whom
I find so beautiful who
turned my life from dull to
vibrant but
still has those idiosyncrasies
(refusing to apologize ever,
disliking to explain,
being just the sweetest teeny bit narcissistic)
that causes
my eyelids to swell shut.


So it is with the woman I know
who is immenensely kind, always looking for
ways to compliment. She became
predictable and annoying
when she liked every person's something:
earrings, shirts, accent.
My eyelids swelled shut
in anticipation.


And so it is with me and my good
intentions that don't
follow through.
With whatever I'm doing,
my frustration with myself
causes my eyelids to swell shut.
Then, unable to see, I am excused.

Labels: narcissism, poetry, swollen eyelids

Dark picture but it's raining so it's a fitting picture for the day. Finished these just now. BEAUTIFUL yarn by Liza Souza. Colorway is Flanders. Knitted on 1.5 needles for a size 13 man's paw. They're K6P2 to the toe.

A sonnet:

　

Labels: knitting socks, liza souza, sonnet

I am SO CLOSE to finishing things. And why am I not finished? I have pink eye and am home with plenty of time.

Instead this form of poetry is called a pantoum:

Bridge over the Bay

We don't like it but we pay
A $3 toll before we ride,
Taking the bridge over the bay.
We love to see the herons glide.

A $3 toll before we ride!
It's annoying but we pay.
We love to see the herons glide
When we take the bridge across the bay.

Labels: pantoum

 Galatea is not one for posing. She is quite nosey though,

My new clothesline. What is wrong here? Why are those bushes taking up the space my sheets would like to hang? Anyway, the nice man at Ace Hardware in Bluewater Bay told me the best way to attach a clothesline to a tree is to wrap the line around the tree twice. Don't damage the tree, he said, by driving in a nail. Seems to work .. as far as I can tell .. since I can only use part of the line for now.

And this poetry form is called a villanelle. There are really charming ones out there by famous poets so I made my own.

Labels: villanelle

What is the weight of quietly waiting?

How long are my hands to hold this strange thing?

Patience, a burden, anticipating

That for which I wait, the winds will not bring.

What is the cost of silently longing?

Disappointment relentlessly follows

My steps and turns, so easily wronging,

Never to have. Love hides in the shadows.

The cost is too dear; the weight is too great.

I must let go this ridiculous dream.

There are things to do, not just sit and wait

I refuse to give you my self-esteem.

You are a wonder but no more than I

To my self I grant the freedom to fly.

Labels: \, disappointment, poetry, sonnet

Finished today! Cascase Heritage handpainted 9905 Desert Adobe. Made for a size 11 man.

Bought the yarn at Unwind in Ft Walton Beach.

and I've been writing

Words of Love

I hurl obscenities at you. I swear
on random days to catch you by surprise.
That I adore you I will not lay bare.
Thoughts of love I must harbor and disguise.

My accusations are entirely nil
Created for effect and nothing more.
Vile words .. and still I expect your goodwill
through this pretense. I fear what I adore.

And though at will I behave so rudely,
Turning it around is not permitted.
You must hold your tongue, sweetly and shrewdly.
Copy not the crimes I have committed.

Wretched words surround me like a prison.
I elude. My love is never hidden.

Here's a randomish quote from a book I was reading last night, Wise Children by Angela Carter.

"Nostalgia, the vice of the aged. We watch so many old movies our memories come out in monochrome."

Labels: Cascade Heritage, knitting socks, poetry, sonnet, Unwind

I was trying to post to another blog, a group blog, but didn't remember how. Instead, I was reminded that I have this.

Zach has been in South Africa for a year now. I personally think that's long enough but the deal is 27 months.

Meantime, I knit those socks and wrote a something or other. Writing is great way to deal with feelings. The yarn is from Slackford Studios. It's lovely to look at and to work with. I will say that I ordered yarn from somewhere else recently and when I opened the plastic bag it came in, it smelled like a fart. Ewww.

Falling for genius

Problems summarily kicked from your path
As freshly marooned leaves in autumn's crisp.
Whether life's detours, words, logic or math,
I see you dissect, rebuild, brilliance kissed.

As Reason's doors swing open to your touch,
Ideas, loveliest things, wildly swarm.
I stand still in their midst, inhaling much,
Head up, outstretch'd arms, praising sacred storm.

Your breathtaking clarity and sweetness
Causes me focus, hungry eyes blinking.
Would I love you if not for your genius?
Oh, I would! I do! Love transcends thinking.

You .. halcyon inspiration, teacher,
Know the brain is the greatest arena.

Labels: knitting socks, poetry, Slackford Studios, sonnet

Last Wednesday, Zach got a call from his Peace Corps placement officer, saying his invitation to serve as a math teacher in Africa will be here soon. We don't know what country yet. My bet is South Africa as they seem to use a lot of volunteers and I see online that they're starting a new group about the time the placement officer told Zach he would leave.

Meanwhile, here are the latest socks I've made. Knitpicks Felini in ecology colorway, size 2 needles, "Go with the Flow" pattern by Evelyn A. Clark. The cat is Starlight, a former stray who is now ours.

Labels: "Peace Corps" "Go with the Flow" knitpicks felini "Evelyn A. Clark"

Trekking XXL socks have gone bye-bye. You can see them trying to make a getaway but I made them get in an envelope first so they'd stay together.

Labels: knitting socks, Trekking XXL

Ivan demonstrated how to lay back and take a snooze.


I finished the Jared Flood scarf with the Noro Silk Garden yarn. I could have gone on one more color change but it seemed so long already and I felt unsure about finding off so it's done. It's for Zach to use next winter. Living in Florida, he didn't have a scarf but it got realllly cold here.




I just wanted to add this picture of the first socks I ever made when they were new. A picture of how they look now is on the March 10 entry.