Mellow-faced, with eyes of faery, wistful clad in tinted leaves,See the brown October tarry by the golden rows of sheaves;Oak & acorn in his garland, fruit & wineskin in his hands,Mystic pilgrim from a far land down the road to farther lands. Softly treading, gently breathing, casting spells on wood & wold,Vines with purple clusters … Continue reading Poem – “October”
Lovecraft
Poem – “Drinking Song from the Tomb”
Come hither my lads with your tankards of ale,And drink to the present before life should failPile each on your platter a mountain of beef,Cos it's eating and drinking what brings us reliefSo fill up your glass, for life will soon pass,When you're dead you'll ne'er drink to your king nor your lass,Anacreon had a … Continue reading Poem – “Drinking Song from the Tomb”
Poem – “The Outpost”
When evening cools the yellow stream,And shadows stalk the jungle’s ways,Zimbabwe’s palace flares ablazeFor a great King who fears to dream. For he alone of all mankindWaded the swamp that serpents shun;And struggling toward the setting sun,Came on the veldt that lies behind. No other eyes had vented thereSince eyes were lent for human sight—But … Continue reading Poem – “The Outpost”
Poem – “Fact and Fancy”
How dull the wretch, whose philosophic mindDisdains the pleasures of fantastic kind;Whose prosy thoughts the joys of life exclude,And wreck the solace of the poet’s mood!Young Zeno, practic’d in the Stoic’s art,Rejects the language of the glowing heart;Dissolves sweet Nature to a mess of laws;Condemns th’ effect whilst looking for the cause;Freezes poor Ovid in … Continue reading Poem – “Fact and Fancy”
Poem – “Background” (repost)
(Because yesterday was my birthday, and this one seems fitting) I never can be tied to raw, new things,For I first saw the light in an old town,Where from my window huddled roofs sloped downTo a quaint harbour rich with visionings.Streets with carved doorways where the sunset beamsFlooded old fanlights and small window-panes,And Georgian steeples … Continue reading Poem – “Background” (repost)
Poem – “A Garden”
There’s an ancient, ancient garden that I see sometimes in dreams,Where the very Maytime sunlight plays and glows with spectral gleams;Where the gaudy-tinted blossoms seem to wither into grey,And the crumbling walls and pillars waken thoughts of yesterday.There are vines in nooks and crannies, and there’s moss about the pool,And the tangled weedy thicket chokes … Continue reading Poem – “A Garden”
Saturday Flotsam: More History and ‘Who Goes There?’
1. I had my first angry parent encounter this week: someone not happy with one of my assignment policies. Sample from the conversation: "I think you're being very unprofessional.""How so?""You have a very poor attitude.""Can you tell me how?""You're too terse." An unpleasant experience, but an inevitable one. In any case, the policy still stands … Continue reading Saturday Flotsam: More History and ‘Who Goes There?’
Poem – “Fact and Fancy”
How dull the wretch, whose philosophic mindDisdains the pleasures of fantastic kind;Whose prosy thoughts the joys of life exclude,And wreck the solace of the poet’s mood!Young Zeno, practic’d in the Stoic’s art,Rejects the language of the glowing heart;Dissolves sweet Nature to a mess of laws;Condemns th’ effect whilst looking for the cause;Freezes poor Ovid in … Continue reading Poem – “Fact and Fancy”
Poetry – “The Wood”
They cut it down, and where the pitch-black aislesOf forest night had hid eternal things,They scal’d the sky with tow’rs and marble pilesTo make a city for their revellings. White and amazing to the lands aroundThat wondrous wealth of domes and turrets rose;Crystal and ivory, sublimely crown’dWith pinnacles that bore unmelting snows. And through its … Continue reading Poetry – “The Wood”
Poetry – “The Conscript”
I am a peaceful working man—I am not wise or strong—But I can follow Nature’s planIn labour, rest, and song. One day the men that rule us allDecided we must die,Else pride and freedom surely fallIn the dim bye and bye. They told me I must write my nameUpon a scroll of death;That some day … Continue reading Poetry – “The Conscript”
Serpent's Den 