so dit-dit-dit-dah for everyone!
Have not been in much of a melancholy mood lately- in fact, last few days have been so bright and cheerful thanks to sarah's juicy emails, erik's drop-by visit, strollering a babbling balzhana down state street and holding her asleep in my arms, re-discovering billly joel, and having new friend mikester. I've been thinking of a poem we read in Duffy's class (refresher- Irish Prof. from UCSB summer class.) It was literally the only cheerful poem in the class, I don't know if it will have the same effect on thhe journal (maybe you have to read it to yourself), and it's not a super deep and meaningful poem, but for some reason, it just keeps coming back to me and making me break out in huge grins at the oddest moments.
So you won't be confused if you choose (at your own risk) to click on cut, "Morse" takes place in the Australian Outback, and is about a man in need of an operation, and his friend Bill Tuckett, an ordinary guy who performs an operation on his sick friend by following a far away doctor's directions through the telegraph. I'm not posting poetry to be pretentious ( I swear, swear!) but I've been feeling lately like there is a lot of suckiness around, and if you happen to stumble upon something bright and gorgeous, it's only fair to share.
Tuckett, Bill Tuckett, Telegraph operator, Hall's Creek,
which is way out back of the Outback, but he stuck it,
quite likely liked it, despite heat, glare, dust and the lack,
of diversion or doctors. Come disaster you trusted to luck,
ingenuity and pluck. This was back when nice people said pluck,
the sleevelink and green eyeshade epoch.
Faced, though, like Bill Tuckett,
with a man needing surgery right on the spot, a lot,
would have done their dashes. It looked hopeless (dot dot dot)
Lift him up on the table, said Tuckett, running the keys hot
til Head Officer turned up a doctor who cooly instructed
up a thousnd miles of wire, as tuckett advance slit by slit,
with a safety razor blade, pioneering on into the wet,
copper wiring the rivers off, in the first operation conducted
along dotted lines, with rum drinkers gripping the patient:
d-d-dash it, take care, Tuck!
And the vital spark stayed unshorted.
Yallah! breathed the camelman, Tuckett, you did it, you did it!
cried the splattered la-de-dah jodphur-wearing Inspector of Stock,
We imagine some weeks later, a proper laconic
convalescent averring Without you, I'd have kicked the bucket...
From Chungking to Burrenjuck, morse keys have mostly gone silent,
and only old men meet now to chit-chat in their electric
bygone dialect. The last letter many will forget
is dit-dit-dit-dah for Victory. The coders' hero had speed,
resource and a touch, So ditditdit daah for Bill Tuckett.
So- dit dit dit dah for Teddy for characters and impressions that make me laugh so hard I think my heart is going to stop.
And dit-dit-dit dah for Sara, boarding school correspondent, and girl of girls
And dit dit-dit dah for Erik's thoughtful visit.
And dit-dit-dit dah for Balzhana for being so beautiful and good-natured and making her new mom so happy.
And dit dit dit dah for new awesometastic friend Mikers, who is the best friend I've ever had that I've never met.
And dit-dit-dit dah for meeting new roommate Patricia, who am meeting today, and dit dit dit dah for roommate Monica, who am meeting next week.
and dddd for growing up and becoming who you always were supposed to be, and dddd for home being only an hour-half drive, and dddd for everyone that has gone to college and is doing amazingly and dddd for those that have not yet, and are still nervous and frightened, and dddd for believing that it really is going to all be okay pretty soon.
dit dit dit dahhhh for all.
So you won't be confused if you choose (at your own risk) to click on cut, "Morse" takes place in the Australian Outback, and is about a man in need of an operation, and his friend Bill Tuckett, an ordinary guy who performs an operation on his sick friend by following a far away doctor's directions through the telegraph. I'm not posting poetry to be pretentious ( I swear, swear!) but I've been feeling lately like there is a lot of suckiness around, and if you happen to stumble upon something bright and gorgeous, it's only fair to share.
Tuckett, Bill Tuckett, Telegraph operator, Hall's Creek,
which is way out back of the Outback, but he stuck it,
quite likely liked it, despite heat, glare, dust and the lack,
of diversion or doctors. Come disaster you trusted to luck,
ingenuity and pluck. This was back when nice people said pluck,
the sleevelink and green eyeshade epoch.
Faced, though, like Bill Tuckett,
with a man needing surgery right on the spot, a lot,
would have done their dashes. It looked hopeless (dot dot dot)
Lift him up on the table, said Tuckett, running the keys hot
til Head Officer turned up a doctor who cooly instructed
up a thousnd miles of wire, as tuckett advance slit by slit,
with a safety razor blade, pioneering on into the wet,
copper wiring the rivers off, in the first operation conducted
along dotted lines, with rum drinkers gripping the patient:
d-d-dash it, take care, Tuck!
And the vital spark stayed unshorted.
Yallah! breathed the camelman, Tuckett, you did it, you did it!
cried the splattered la-de-dah jodphur-wearing Inspector of Stock,
We imagine some weeks later, a proper laconic
convalescent averring Without you, I'd have kicked the bucket...
From Chungking to Burrenjuck, morse keys have mostly gone silent,
and only old men meet now to chit-chat in their electric
bygone dialect. The last letter many will forget
is dit-dit-dit-dah for Victory. The coders' hero had speed,
resource and a touch, So ditditdit daah for Bill Tuckett.
So- dit dit dit dah for Teddy for characters and impressions that make me laugh so hard I think my heart is going to stop.
And dit-dit-dit dah for Sara, boarding school correspondent, and girl of girls
And dit dit-dit dah for Erik's thoughtful visit.
And dit-dit-dit dah for Balzhana for being so beautiful and good-natured and making her new mom so happy.
And dit dit dit dah for new awesometastic friend Mikers, who is the best friend I've ever had that I've never met.
And dit-dit-dit dah for meeting new roommate Patricia, who am meeting today, and dit dit dit dah for roommate Monica, who am meeting next week.
and dddd for growing up and becoming who you always were supposed to be, and dddd for home being only an hour-half drive, and dddd for everyone that has gone to college and is doing amazingly and dddd for those that have not yet, and are still nervous and frightened, and dddd for believing that it really is going to all be okay pretty soon.
dit dit dit dahhhh for all.