Libby Weber's Blog, page 13

October 10: Such a Lovely Audience

I dropped a quote into the internet,

As witness to a fairly brutal week.

While posting my frustrations did offset,

No serious discussion did I seek.

I pirouetted in a passageway

For love of slickness of a leather sole

On waxed linoleum and of the day-

To be observed was not at all the goal.

Both times I met an unexpected smile

From someone who provided recognition

Of Friday joy and wordplay versatile,

Quixotically, quite of his own volition.

Though threats to privacy may cause unease,

Sometimes it can be...

October 9: Subjunctive

Scientia potentia est – Hobbes;

In knowledge there is power, this is true;

Judicious exercise can make our jobs

Efficient, fun, and possible to do.

It thrusts a certain order on the mind

Connecting discrete problems and solutions,

So when bad luck and chaos are combined

They bring about my wisdom’s evolution.

Thus, problems that I don’t anticipate,

Are often solvable with proven tricks,

And while they might not totally negate

The issues, they’re a tolerable fix.

I know the thought is futile, but how gran...

October 8: Klavierstruck

Was it rehearsing music in the day

That set afire the music in my mind,

Or was it the great concert in LA

That left enduring vestiges behind?

While Handel haunts my projects yet undone

And Johnny Cash accompanies my rise

In elevators, what would be the fun

Of contradicting all that it implies:

Two types of music, one that soothes and sends

The mind to calmer states, and one whose strains

Inspires new enterprises and depends

On time and space the vision to sustain.

I dare not limit inspiration’s scope.

All...

October 7: Dyschronous

Easterly clouds masked daybreak’s glow so well

All sources of the blue-grey light were blurring.

Without a timepiece, it was hard to tell

If sunrise or a sunset was occurring.

And in the evening, six musicians wrought

Hypnotic aural waves from wooden planks.

Painstaking polyrhythmic patterns sought

To cloud the consciousness, leaving it blank.

So often on a chosen holiday

The contexts with which every day is greeted

That frame my thoughts and actions go away,

Ambitious plans too often uncompleted.

But si...

October 6: The Gracious Month

Gentle commencement for a hectic day

Is proof variable nature can be kind,

With offerings of dew that cool my feet

And unexpected blooms in autumn’s heat.

Deciduous decay and blossoms sweet

In temperate October are combined.

The the daytime warmth begs summertime to stay

As falling darkness pushes it away.

Not even California can delay

Earth’s unrelenting angle nor defeat

The system our sun’s gravity aligned,

So to the shifting seasons we’re resigned.

I feel the sunlight growing less intense

And jack-o-l...

October 5: Away

A half-read book beneath a ceiling fan,

A stoneware mug that’s full of IPA

But sleepy hounds do not complete the clan,

The house feels empty when you are away.

The hummingbirds squeak disapprovingly

At roaring F/A-18s on display

Football announcers only bring ennui-

The house seems silent when you are away.

My aches and weariness may dissipate

From resting through an online holiday,

In solitude, stressors evaporate.

They might not do so, were you not away.

Through mindfulness and self-care will I earn

The...

October 4: The “A” Train

When working on a problem of some size

There sometimes comes a flash of clarity

That makes all your preceding steps seem wise,

And your conclusions ring with verity-

For suddenly, the path is not defined

By dead ends that in error you have taken,

Instead, mistakes seem perfectly designed

A vital new perspective to awaken.

It is impossible to trust perfection,

For fear of failure’s thoroughly enmeshed

So even when one speaks with circumspection

The fear of overstatement breeds afresh.

Try not to think abo...

October 3: The Other Shoe

I must protest: it’s not procrastination-

It’s effort that’s expended to prevent

Redundancy; to hamper duplication

Of tasks- uncertainty to circumvent.

For what’s the point of jumping when I’m told

When quick responses lead to admiration

For just as long as it takes to grow cold

And lead to a delayed realization?

Oh no! This won’t work after all! Redo

These tasks and find a preferable solution

Accommodating what I sort-of-knew.

You have eight hours to find a resolution.

Who knows if I’d experience less p...

October 2: Spineless

Just yesterday I opened up a book

Beloved by those whose taste I know and trust.

But fifteen minutes later I was hooked-

Engrossed as to the daily grind I bussed.

Fatigue and miscommunications kept

Me from advancing further in the story

But that night as I closed my eyes and slept,

I hunted, and the novel was my quarry.

This morning on the bus, my bag revealed

No longed-for tale. I found myself unable

My self-exasperation to conceal

Recalling that the book was on the table.

Such busy days and too-exhaust...

October 1: A Delicate Balance

Once past the equinox, the sun’s bright rays

Diminish, angles narrowing, acute,

So one must change the starts and ends of days,

Adjusting to dark dressing and commute,

As well as changing schedules and new students,

And brand new quarter, weather, term, and season.

So greet the changes with sufficient prudence

To understand the difference and the reason:

For when one’s judgment wars with intuition,

With all too many variables in play,

The wisest path’s avoiding admonition,

And all reactions carefully as...