{"id":3543,"date":"2005-01-13T14:00:19","date_gmt":"2005-01-13T18:00:19","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blogs.law.harvard.edu\/formerlyknownas\/2005\/01\/13\/they-seek-him-there\/"},"modified":"2011-08-05T14:58:03","modified_gmt":"2011-08-05T18:58:03","slug":"they-seek-him-there","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/archive.blogs.harvard.edu\/ethicalesq\/2005\/01\/13\/they-seek-him-there\/","title":{"rendered":"they seek him there"},"content":{"rendered":"

<\/a><\/p>\n

In case you missed yesterday’s f\/k\/a <\/span>premiere<\/span><\/a> of Randy Brooks, here’s \"coyote<\/span>
\nan encore:<\/span> <\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

grandpa drags his daybed
\nto the front porch. . .
\nmockingbird\u2019s songs<\/span><\/span><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

<\/p>\n

missing in action
\nshe dusts off his guitar
\nreturns it to the shelf<\/span><\/span><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

<\/blockquote>\n

Randy Brooks<\/strong><\/span><\/a>, from World Haiku Review<\/em> <\/span><\/span><\/span>Vintage Haiku of Randy Brooks <\/strong><\/span><\/a><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<\/blockquote>\n

<\/blockquote>\n
<\/blockquote>\n

by dagosan<\/span><\/strong><\/a>:<\/span><\/span><\/em><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

\n

<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n


\n<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span>wonton soup<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span>wanton woman<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span>no MSG<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n


\n<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

<\/span>[Jan. 13, 2005,<\/em><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n


\n<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

inspiration: B. Wooldrige<\/a>]<\/em><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

one-breath pundit<\/strong><\/em><\/span><\/a><\/span><\/p>\n

\"\" Announcing a new haiku weblog: <\/span>Bret Wooldridge<\/a><\/span>, who is usually hanging <\/span><\/p>\n

out on <\/span>Shadow Poetry’s haiku<\/span><\/a> pages<\/span>, submitted yesterday to nagosan’<\/em>s plea that he collect<\/span><\/p>\n

his haiku for the public to enjoy. Thus, <\/span>The Wanton Tree<\/span><\/em><\/a> was born, filled with verse (and verbosity). <\/span><\/p>\n

Although BW has led with some of his naughtier stuff (to attract some Google querists perhaps), <\/span><\/p>\n

there’s lots to like that is family-safe. Here are two good examples:<\/span><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

\n

overpass:
\nthe windshield wipers
\nsqueak dry<\/span><\/p>\n

\n

preschool:<\/span>
\nthe lower panes<\/span>
\nfree of frost<\/span><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<\/blockquote>\n<\/blockquote>\n<\/blockquote>\n

\n
\n
\n

<\/span><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<\/blockquote>\n<\/blockquote>\n

Bret explains in his first post how he got the haiku bug: “I am\/was an avid guitarist. Following <\/span><\/p>\n

my obsessive compulsive muse and playing as fast and furious as posible for many hours a day <\/span><\/p>\n

resulted in tendonitis and a drastically reduced regimen. What to do with my overindulgent nature? <\/span><\/p>\n

I remembered that I had written haiku 12 years earlier and took it up again with a vengeance. Since <\/span><\/p>\n

then, I’ve had some publishing success and found I really enjoy writing and reading these tiny poems.”<\/span><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

\"scarpimp\" Bret Wooldridge’s Profile sent me off on a pleasant tangent. He lists “The Scarlet Pimpernel<\/a><\/em><\/strong>” as one of his favorite movies. But, he doesn’t tell us if it’s the <\/span><\/span>Leslie Howard<\/span><\/a>\/Merle Oberon version (1935), the <\/span>Anthony Andrews<\/span><\/a>\/Jane Seymour version (1982), or the <\/span>Richard E. Grant<\/span><\/a>\/Elizabeth McGovern version (A&E,<\/span> 1999). Wal-Mart has the 1935 classic for $1, with a great <\/span>cover<\/span><\/a>. (Or, maybe Bret caught the Broadway <\/span>musical version<\/span><\/a> <\/span>with Douglas Sills & Christine Andreas.)<\/span><\/p>\n

Now, it ain’t haiku, but I’ve always liked <\/span>these lines<\/span><\/a>:<\/span><\/p>\n

“I’ve written a poem.”
\n“Who sir? You sir?”
\n“Yes sir, me sir.”
\n“No, sir!”
\n“Yes sir. Listen.
\n—– “The Scarlet Pimpernel, by Sir Percy Blakeney, Bart.<\/em><\/p>\n

“They seek him here, they seek him there,
\n“those Frenchies seek him everywhere.
\n“Is he in heaven or is he in hell?
\n“That damned elusive Pimpernel.”<\/em><\/em><\/em><\/em><\/em><\/em><\/em><\/em><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<\/blockquote>\n

As a <\/span>Guardian<\/em> review<\/span> of the 1999 A&E version notes: The dialogue is from the much admired and fondly remembered 1935 film of The Scarlet Pimpernel<\/em>, with the great Leslie Howard as the secret rescuer of French aristocrats, hiding his exploits behind a facade as a very foolish fop dancing attendance on the Prince of Wales.” It’s easy to love the 1935 and 1982 films, and I’d hate to have to choose between them. I’d choose to turn off the 1999 tv-flick.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"tiny This morning, there was a happy ending to my crashed-computer story.<\/span> <\/span><\/p>\n

I’m using it right now, with no data lost. Having my RAM tripled makes my achy body<\/span><\/p>\n

feel almost turbocharged. And, the bill was a pleasant <\/span>surprise:<\/span><\/p>\n

\n
\n

handed the repair bill —<\/span><\/p>\n

fifty dollars<\/span><\/p>\n

not five hundred<\/span>
\n [dagosan, Jan. 13, 2005]<\/em><\/span><\/span><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<\/blockquote>\n<\/blockquote>\n

\"yin Prof. Althouse<\/span><\/a> has a pointer today to Maureen Dowd, who is pointing her sharp<\/span><\/p>\n

finger at men who Just Want Mommy<\/a> (NYT<\/em>, Jan. 13, 2005). As a man who has always looked <\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

for an <\/span><\/span>intellectual equal with high (and earned) self-esteem, I find this all a little silly. The<\/span><\/p>\n

complaining women are looking in the wrong places (e.g<\/em>., at men who need status and<\/span><\/p>\n

wealth to feel good about themselves). Not only do I do my own laundry, but I prefer<\/span><\/p>\n

women who can keep a Scrabble game close right to the end (and don’t want do-overs;<\/span><\/p>\n

I’d like to win about 3 games out of 5). <\/span>See <\/span>ISO: “Attractive Nuisance” Blawgger<\/span><\/a>.<\/span><\/p>\n