“When Great Trees Fall” By Maya Angelou

Again, for today’s Ragtag Community Prompt, I turn to another poet who has spent time thinking about hewn and how the hewing examines precious. This poem by Maya Angelou is less about man’s action in hewing, than it is about the universal hewing that takes all life. In it we hear what we lose when … Continue reading “When Great Trees Fall” By Maya Angelou →

Hunting Bear with Eric

“There is no evidence of ecstasy in this blood.” Eric said. As usual Eric was saying words that meant about ziltch. Eric is my friend but Eric is not very accurate when he speaks. Eric speaks for effect, not for saying anything you can put in your freezer. The bear was still out there. It … Continue reading Hunting Bear with Eric →

This Plainted Land

O plaintive for plainted skies for plaintive waves of plaint, for plaintly mountains plaint above the plaintive plaint. O plainted land! O plaintive land! Plaint shed His complaint on thee And plaint thy plaint with plaint From plaint to plaintive plaint. A review of the American patriotic hymn "America the Beautiful" with apologies to those … Continue reading This Plainted Land →

A December Twenty-First Argument

“It’s the Win’er’s Solice today,” Bert Osburned said. “I think. Isn’t it?” He pulled his heavy brows down over his little eyes, a serious frown, which is about the way he made all his proclamations. He wore a wide brim hat and scuffed boots and had been a history teacher at the high school. Since … Continue reading A December Twenty-First Argument →

What was the Original Meaning of Skirt? Or do I Mean Shirt?

Sometimes the assumptions behind a good question need a bit of clarifying. It is understood that the question in the link below is asking about how some words slid in meaning between 1967 and 2018; but the response here chooses to look at the more interesting question related to the malleability of language. Lee Robison … Continue reading What was the Original Meaning of Skirt? Or do I Mean Shirt? →

Advice Sorely Obtained#1

To empower a writer show them the Oxford English Dictionary, steal their grammar text book, and fire their spell checker. The good ones will manage regardless; the so-so will do fine; and the bad ones will fault out.

Re: the RPD Writeup on ‘Fleek”

Upon reading the tag for the Ragtag word of the day, and after looking at the Urban Dictionary invective referenced therein, I just—JUST—could not resist the following diatribe on one of my fav hobbies-hosses (trying to grave our vocabulary in concrete tombs) which also includes one of my pettest peeves—undervaluing the full, social, historic, and … Continue reading Re: the RPD Writeup on ‘Fleek” →