Lawrence Hall, HSG
Mhall46184@aol.com

                        Marcus Aurelius at the Auto Repair Shop

Marcus Aurelius down at the auto repair –
Now there’s an image, him being an emperor and all
One of those philosophers who think about stuff
Who ask questions and read and write and stuff

If a man complains about the cost of new tires:
                    Meditations V.9 – “Be not unhappy, or discouraged…”
And
                      II.4 – “Remember how long you have been putting off these things…”

If a warranty has expired:
                       VI.53 – “Accustom yourself to listen carefully…”
And
                       VII.24 – “A scowling look is quite unnatural.”

If the engine is blown:
                        X.33 – “Now it is not given to a cylinder to move everywhere…”
And
                        VII.54 – “…it is in your power to accept…your present condition…”


And with that, Marcus steps outside for a cigarette.

Lawrence Hall, HSG
Mhall46184@aol.com

                                         ­      But Truly Write

                                   Cf. Shakespeare, Sonnet 21

                    …poems are gatherings of words, in good order, in
                    simple order, plain and appealing.

                          -Mary Oliver, A Poetry Handbook, p. 77

A line of contemporary prosetry
Is a catalogue of florid structures and worn-out cliches
Pancaked with adverbs and tiresome metaphors
Flung down in a confusion of unconnected gasps

If you have something to say, then say it
Then tidy up the lines – like washing your face
With soap and water and a cotton towel
And then admire the sunlit, fresh-air truth

Craft your lines of transcendent poetry
As clean sharp-edg’ed truth in well-scrubbed words

Lawrence Hall, HSG
Mhall46184@aol.com

                         Maybe Edmondson and Wells are Right

                                  Cf. Shakespeare, Sonnet 20


                  I do none harm, I say none harm, I think none harm.

           -St. Thomas More in Robert Bolt’s A Man for All Seasons


How awkward that a beautiful woman
Might not be a woman except in her heart
And in her bearing, demeanor, and dress
Making a choosing, and not a demand

But if I am asked about matters of DNA
I hope I may freely reply, “Coffee? Or tea?”
Neither censured nor restrained nor vilified
Beneath the Cross free to accept or not

We are all children of God, woman, and man -
Let us all care for each other the best we can

Lawrence Hall, HSG
Mhall46184@aol.com

                                   Fire Ants are Elizabethans

No fire ant sees another as a brother
They fight all other ants with venom and spleen
They eagerly share ant poison with each other -
They even pass it ‘round to **** their queen!

Lawrence Hall, HSG
Mhall46184@aol.com

              Shakespeare, Venus, and the Travelling Salesman

                                     Cf. Shakespeare, Sonnet 19

Dear Will,

About your obsession with mortality:
Transitions and death are essentials in life
And we must face the obsequies of ashes or earth
But there are other topics upon which to write

Let us not consider funerals today
Let us sit upon the lawn and smoke our pipes
And write about new leaves on ancient oaks
(You’ll pen far better lines; you always do)

Today we’ll ignore our own mortality
And tell inappropriate jokes about Venus
                                and a travelling salesman

Lawrence Hall, HSG
Mhall46184@aol.com

                                 What Would Matt Dillon Do?

Wyoming Wolf Abuser Could Get Hunting Privileges Taken Away | Your Wyoming News Source (cowboystatedaily.com)

A two-legger who tortures a creature from the wild
Might tomorrow torture his neighbor’s child

Lawrence Hall, HSG
Mhall46184@aol.com

                    I Will Not Compare You to a Summer’s Day

                                  Cf. Shakespeare, Sonnet 18

I will not compare you to a summer’s day
Summer is heat, humidity, and drought
A disapproving sun burning the earth
A dusty, weedy landscape fit only for snakes

Instead, you are a perfect autumn day
A day of good old sweaters and leafy walks
Invigorating winds all fresh from the north
And inside, cups of cocoa and a merry fire

I will not compare you to a summer’s day
Your autumn is far more lovely and temperate