Pic of the Day

At the Gym

At the Gym

By Mark Doty

 

This salt-stain spot

marks the place where men

lay down their heads,

back to the bench,

 

and hoist nothing

that need be lifted

but some burden they've chosen

this time: more reps,

 

more weight, the upward shove

of it leaving, collectively,

this sign of where we've been:

shroud-stain, negative

 

flashed onto the vinyl

where we push something

unyielding skyward,

gaining some power

 

at least over flesh,

which goads with desire,

and terrifies with frailty.

Who could say who's

 

added his heat to the nimbus

of our intent, here where

we make ourselves:

something difficult

 

lifted, pressed or curled,

Power over beauty,

power over power!

Though there's something more

 

tender, beneath our vanity,

our will to become objects

of desire: we sweat the mark

of our presence onto the cloth.

 

Here is some halo

the living made together.

 

 

About the Poet

 

Mark Doty was born in Maryville, Tennessee, on August 10, 1953. He is the author of numerous collections of poetry, most recently Deep Lane (W. W. Norton, 2015); A Swarm, A Flock, A Host: A Compendium of Creatures(Prestel, 2013); Fire to Fire: New and Selected Poems (HarperCollins, 2008), which received the National Book Award; School of the Arts(HarperCollins, 2005); Source(HarperCollins, 2002); and Sweet Machine (HarperCollins, 1998). Other collections include Atlantis(HarperCollins, 1995), which received the Ambassador Book Award, the Bingham Poetry Prize, and a Lambda Literary Award; My Alexandria(University of Illinois Press, 1993), chosen by Philip Levine for the National Poetry Series, winner of the National Book Critics Circle Award and Britain’s T. S. Eliot Prize, and  a National Book Award finalist; Bethlehem in Broad Daylight (D.R. Godine, 1991); and Turtle, Swan (D.R. Godine, 1987).

 

In 2010, Graywolf Press published Doty’s collection of essays on poetry titled The Art of Description: World into Word, in which Doty asserts that “poetry concretizes the singular, unrepeatable moment; it hammers out of speech a form for how it feels to be oneself.”

 

Doty is also a noted memoirist. In 2020, he published What Is the Grass: Walt Whitman in My Life (W. W. Norton), in which he traces his own experiences alongside those of Whitman, in the context of the elder poet’s creation of his best-known work, Leaves of Grass. In 1996, Doty released Heaven’s Coast (HarperCollins), which received the PEN/Martha Albrand Award for First Nonfiction. His other memoirs are Dog Years (HarperCollins, 2007); Still Life with Oysters and Lemon: On Objects and Intimacy (Beacon Press, 2000); and Firebird (HarperCollins, 1999). He has also edited The Best American Poetry 2012.

 

Doty has received fellowships from the Guggenheim Foundation, the Ingram Merrill Foundation, the National Endowment for the Arts, the Rockefeller Foundation, and the Whiting Foundation. He served as a Chancellor of the Academy of American Poets from 2011 to 2016.

 

Doty has taught at the University of Houston and is currently serving as a distinguished writer at Rutgers University. He lives in New York City.

Pic of the Day

Not Ready

I am not ready for it to be Monday, and I was not ready for Isabella to wake me up. I’m not sure what time she began trying to wake me, but I refused to get up before 5 am. I’m trying to train her, but I suspect it will be a futile attempt. She can be extremely stubborn.

Whether I’m ready for it or not, Monday is here, and I have to go to work. It’s going to be a very busy week. The current exhibit in the museum will be coming down, so we will all be busy helping with that. In addition to that, I’m on two hiring committees for jobs in another department, and we have a slate of virtual interviews for the second position (we did virtual interviews for the other one last week). I also have to call references for one of last week’s candidates. On top of all that, I have some evening tours to do. It’s going to be a busy week, and I’m just not ready for it.

Pic of the Day

A Beautiful Life

But a certain Samaritan, as he journeyed, came where he was. And when he saw him, he had compassion. So he went to him and bandaged his wounds, pouring on oil and wine; and he set him on his own animal, brought him to an inn, and took care of him.

—Luke 10:33-34

 

A Beautiful Life

By William M. Golden (1918)

 

1

Each day I'll do a golden deed,

By helping those who are in need;

My life on earth is but a span,

And so I'll do the best I can, (the best I can).

 

Life's evening sun is sinking low,

A few more days and I must go,

To meet the deeds that I have done,

Where there will be no setting sun. (no setting sun.)

 

2

To be a child of God each day,

My light must shine along the way;

I'll sing His praise while ages roll

And strive to help some troubled soul, (some troubled soul).

 

Life's evening sun is sinking low,

A few more days and I must go,

To meet the deeds that I have done,

Where there will be no setting sun. (no setting sun.)

 

3

The only life that will endure,

Is one that's kind and good and pure;

And so for God I'll take my stand,

Each day I'll lend a helping hand, (a helping hand).

 

Life's evening sun is sinking low,

A few more days and I must go,

To meet the deeds that I have done,

Where there will be no setting sun. (no setting sun.)

 

4

I'll help someone in time of need,

And journey on with rapid speed;

I'll help the sick and poor and weak,

And words of kindness to them speak, (kind words I'll speak).

 

Life's evening sun is sinking low,

A few more days and I must go,

To meet the deeds that I have done,

Where there will be no setting sun. (no setting sun.)

 

5

While going down life's weary road,

I'll try to lift some trav'ler's load;

I'll try to turn the night today,

Make flowers bloom along the way, (the lonely way).

 

Life's evening sun is sinking low,

A few more days and I must go,

To meet the deeds that I have done,

Where there will be no setting sun. (no setting sun.)

 

Back when I was a teenager, I was the song leader at my church, even though I am a terrible singer. I could usually at least get a song going before someone else will pick it up and actually lead the song for the congregation. I only had a small repertoire of songs that I knew well enough to sing, but not all of them could be sang by our small congregation.  This was one of the songs that was quite difficult to lead because the song’s refrain needs a group to sing tenor and a group to sing base. It’s difficult for a small congregation and most likely easier for a choir to sing. It is also one that works better with musical instruments than a capella which is what we sing in the Church of Christ (we have no musical accompaniment).

 

Even though "A Beautiful Life" was not a song I ever lead, my mother used to play it on the piano, and I have always loved it. The song encourages us to do good deeds for others in an effort to influence righteousness in this world. We are to lead by example. In Matthew 25:34-40, Jesus says that on the Day of Judgement, the Lord will say:

“Come, you blessed of My Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world: for I was hungry and you gave Me food; I was thirsty and you gave Me drink; I was a stranger and you took Me in; I was naked and you clothed Me; I was sick and you visited Me; I was in prison and you came to Me.
 
“Then the righteous will answer Him, saying, ‘Lord, when did we see You hungry and feed You, or thirsty and give You drink? When did we see You a stranger and take You in, or naked and clothe You? Or when did we see You sick, or in prison, and come to You?’ And the King will answer and say to them, ‘Assuredly, I say to you, inasmuch as you did it to one of the least of these My brethren, you did it to Me.’”

 Jesus is telling us that if we help others, then God will favor us. It doesn’t matter how much faith you proclaim to have, if you are not following that faith with good deeds, then your faith is not real. It is merely a proclamation. For if you truly believe, then you will try to live a life that imitates that of Christ. We are commanded to feed, clothes, shelter, nurse and lift up those who are downtrodden and in need. If we refuse these things to our fellow man, then we are refusing them to God as well. Of course, we have to do what we reasonably can. We may make sacrifices to help others, but we can only do so much. What we can’t do is place conditions on the goods deeds that we do.

 

"A Beautiful Life" suggests several things that we can do to be a good influence on others. Christianity is a religion that must be practiced daily and affect our daily lives, and therefore, every day we should be concerned about those who are in need. God wants us to be His spiritual children; however, as His children, He wants us to let our lights so shine that men may see our good works and glorify Him. One way to do this is to sing His praise that we might be an example to others. Our lives are more than just our physical existence, and to have an enduring quality they must be influenced by Christ. A life that is truly influenced by Christ will be characterized by kindness, and such a life will also not be ashamed to take a stand for God so that it can be a help to others.

 

We should be willing to help those who are in need because we love our neighbor as ourselves. Again, we need to show this love while we have the time because we are journeying on with rapid speed. Showing our love means helping the sick and poor and weak. We can lift the traveler’s load by showing our faith in giving him what he needs. We can help turn the night to day by showing our love in assisting others in need. We can make flowers bloom along the way by being an influence for righteousness.

 

The chorus of "A Beautiful Life" re-emphasizes the need to be doing these things because of the brevity of life. God has eternal life planned for His people in heaven. However, to be made fit for such a wonderful dwelling place, we must strive while we journey here on this earth to have "A Beautiful Life."

Pic of the Day

Moment of Zen: Artists

Speaking of art, I have another image, but you’ll have to click “ Read more »” to see the rest of the post. I don’t often post frontal nudity unless I feel it is particularly artistic, but I find the image on the next page artistic in its own way.

Pic of the Day

Working Friday

I wish I could just stay in bed today. I woke up around 2:30 am with a migraine. Luckily, I was able to go back to sleep, but when I woke again at 4:30 am, I still had a headache. I took some medicine, and I hope it’s better by the time I leave for work. While I usually work from home on Fridays, I’ll be working at the museum today. I have some meetings that will be best in person, though they could have been done virtually. The real reason I’m going in is because I have to go to my doctor’s office this afternoon, and his office is across the street from the university. If I’m going to have to drive in anyway, I might as well make it a day at the office. Regardless, I hope that this headache goes away because I’m supposed to go to dinner with a friend this evening, and I always look forward to spending time with her.

Pic of the Day

Summer is officially here, and it certainly feels like it. We’ve been having a rare heatwave here in Vermont. I’d love to find a cool body of water to enjoy.

Post-Botox

Good morning, everyone! I’ve been doing some gentle stretching this morning because I’ve had some stiffness and pain in my lower back, but otherwise, it seems like a good morning so far. 

I had my Botox treatment yesterday for my migraines, and I asked the nurse practitioner about her injection technique and whether it is it more effective. She said that she uses that technique for two reasons: 1) it helps her be more accurate in the placement of the injections, and 2) it’s more comfortable for her patients. I mentioned how whatever she did appeared to be more effective. I could tell that she did not want to say anything that might come across as critical of her colleague, so instead, she said, “Maybe this just works better for you.” 

Whether it does or not, I booked her for my next two appointments. When she walked me up to the desk to make future appointments, I asked her if it was ok to book only her in the future, and she said I could. What was interesting is that the woman scheduling the appointments said that she only lets this nurse practitioner do her Botox injections. So it seems I’m not the only one who thinks she’s more effective with her technique. We’ll see over the next three months if it proves to be more effective. 

Pic of the Day

Botox Day

I went yesterday to see my primary doctor, and all went pretty well. The only exception is that his nurse needed to draw some blood for a few tests, and although she stuck the needle in me twice, she got a single drop of blood. Today, I’m getting even more shots because I’m going for my next Botox treatment for my migraines. I have had two different people give me these shots since my former neurologist left. One is a physician assistant (PA) and the other is a nurse practitioner (NP). No offense to any PAs out there, but if I have a choice, I will always go with an NP. The PA uses an older method of administering the Botox injections, and they appear less effective. They injections are supposed to last about 90 days, but when she does the injections, they seem to have little effect. When the NP has given me the injections in the past, she uses a newer and supposedly more effective technique. I’ve only had her do my Botox once, but I saw great improvement, and I am hoping that will be the case today. The PA gives the injection perpendicular to my head going straight in and remaining fairly shallow, not going in very deep. The NP gently pinches the skin and goes in at a 90 degree angle and a bit deeper. I talked to my doctor yesterday, and he suggested that it might be a better technique because it allows the Botox to distribute more evenly and get more effectively in the areas it should. I plan to ask the NP today if this might be the case. If so, and it does prove more effective, then I will be insisting she gives my injections from the on. I’m hoping I will see more relief after today’s treatment.

Pic of the Day

Eight Years Ago ❤️🐈‍⬛

On Saturday, June 18, 2016, I brought home my faithful companion. She was a bit shy when I’d picked her out. She was the only female kitten the shelter had, and she was hiding under a chair. I coaxed her out and as soon as she was in my arms, there was no doubt that she was coming home with me.

I remember taking the picture above. She was in the bathroom of my first apartment in Vermont, and she looked up at me and gave me one of those “fierce” kitten meows. If you’ve ever had a kitten, you know exactly what I mean.

Two days later, she was still looking up at me, still just as “fierce,” and stealing more of my heart more and more every day.

By that first Friday, she was happily sleeping on my bed. That fierceness and shyness had gone away and she was just a bundle of sweetness. She’s never liked being picked up, nor does she like to cuddle, but she’s happiest if she’s in the same room as me and especially if I’m lying on my side, and she’s perched on my hip.

By the next Saturday, she was queen of her domain, and I was her loyal servant. She’s a demanding, yet benevolent monarch.

Eight years later, she has my whole heart. She’s been with me through some very difficult times and some happy times. I adopted Isabella when I was suffering from depression, the worst I’d ever had. I was lonely and sad, but she brought me love and companionship. 

She may wake me up too early to feed her. She may get upset if I don’t go to bed on time. But, she’s there to say goodbye to me in the morning and waiting at the door when I get home. 

When I have to be gone for several day, she is beside herself with joy, relief, and love when I get home. I have a neighbor who checks in on her and plays with her while I’m away, but for her, it seems, there is no substitute for me. Some cats act angry when their owner (or subject) is away, but Isabella is always chatting and affectionate when I get home. Maybe she can tell that I’m always just as excited to get home to her.

Over the past eight years, she been my joy every single day. ❤️