I plucked some words from the Lexicon and arranged them in neat rows

I am aware, perhaps even painfully so, of the recent dearth of posts on my blog. I could excuse myself by referring to term papers and final projects and exam preparations, but that would suggest that I have been spending most of my time on these things, while the truth is that I must begin working on these things. Carefree college co-ed I am not. Alliterative amateur aspiring toward an angst-ridden anthology I am. Or something like that.

As usual, the things that have most anxiously begged to be written I have not been able (or willing) to put into words. So here is something on the lighter side. It is writing, tamen, and there is something to be said for that. I just don't know what.

I have given it a name, and it is


"Black and white and moonlight"

Fistfuls of sticky white rice
with green leafy garnish
cling to flimsy skewers
held up to a tungsten flame
surrounded by darkness.
April night from my window.




By way of a footnote, which is not really/directly/entirely/integrally (I am indecisive; I'll make it choose-your-own-adverb) related to anything above, so perhaps it is more of an ankle note, because it starts out related, but then it sort of bends and twists and maybe even pops out of place... umm. Blast metaphor. As an addendum, anyway, I just got up to go check my Latin book to make sure I was using tamen correctly, and as soon as I got up I noted the darkness of the room and decided that this must be remedied. In the course of my directing myself to the light switch, reaching for it and flipping it on, the sensation of chilly toes reached my brain and I thought that since I was going back to my bedroom, I might as well get some socks while I was there. I was distracted by the colorful striped socks I chose, I suppose, because I returned to my computer with warmer (and more colorful) feet, but alas, none the wiser with respect to tamen. Maybe I should keep my Latin book in my sock drawer. Maybe not. It is funny, tamen, how our brains work (or don't). Nonne idem credis tu? (My apologies to those of you who actually know Latin. I am trying to keep it alive and kicking, but it is me it is kicking, I fear. Hmm, fear clause... and I'm done.)