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Retired from 10 years in the Canadian Navy, and 28 years in the Canadian Diplomatic Service, with postings in Beijing, Mexico City, Sri Lanka, Romania, Abu Dhabi, Guyana, Ireland, Trinidad, and, last but not least, India.

Wednesday 12 June 2013

Farrago: On the Importance of Clear and Unambiguous Communication



You told me that you farngblat,

and would never let me snarg.
I spoke to you of biglefamps
that walumed in the jerg.

My friend told me his marvenkik

was frammed beyond norvak:
I sorped upon such giggenhap,
While theathing dear kanbak.

Now if you chance to winklemump

while jerbing with the karmple,
just fik to nab magorium
and disregard the brangle.

The 3D Pop-up Children’s Book





The view from my verandah this morning
reminded me 
of those children’s pop-up
three dimensional
story books.
If you could enter the book
between two of the panels
could you not have access
to a two-dimensional sideroad?

If our lives are like a 3D pop-up

just imagine the strange,
the wonderful, the terrifying
adventures that we’ve missed,
slavishly following 
the arrow of time.

We become stupefied by what may happen next;

by who we are told we should be; 
by where we think we must be going.
Could fulfilment not suddenly arrive
through the serendipitous exploration 
of the laterals, 
the mysteries and wonders
between the brightly coloured pop-ups?

In the 3D children’s storybook of my life,

I have explored the laterals,
retrogressing at times,
but the story,
the real, unimagined, unplanned,
and unanticipated story,
is not the original.
It is a construct in which I participated,
which I changed as the story progressed,
sometimes planned,
sometimes accidental,
but always engaged
in developing the lateral.


The book is different now:

some of the panels are faded,
with rips here and there.
Some brightly scintillate 
with lives of their own.

The tale is, ultimately,

for all its change, wear and tear,
about happy endings.
   And it is my story. 

The Ancient Hippie

The Ancient Hippie
Natraj dances with us all.

Welcome, and Namaste

Greetings fellow travellers,

For you American friends visiting, you will notice that this old Canadian uses Canadian English in this blog: kindly bear with me. As I blog primarily on subjects that are vitally interesting to me, I appreciate all feedback.

As I tend to be a bit of a language usage freak, I will, as required, edit obscenity and rude comments. That said, I welcome your opinions and discussion.

May your Dharma be clear

Peace

"If we shadows have offended,
Think but this, and all is mended:
That you have but slumb'red here,
While these visions did appear."


Puck’s epilogue to A Midsummer Night’s Dream