Tuesday's Child
Today is your birthday,
And some years ago,
We welcomed pure sweetness
"Tied up in a bow"...
The days have since followed:
You've grown kind and strong;
With four kids of your own now,
To help sing this song:
Happy Birthday To You,
Happy Birthday To You,
Happy Birthday Dear Lara [Mommy],
Happy Birthday To
You !!
... And last, but not least, I never forget that my
daughter-in law's b'day is just before my own daughter's...
Oh, Eve of a New Year !
Champagne bottles break;
Resolutions stay spotless
By sharpened
snowflakes...
We greet bright-eyed babies;
Aged men wave goodbye;
Yet, just
12 months prior,
We sailed those same highs!
'Feb' gathers love poems
And scores of red
hearts;
The Ides bring March madness,
With winds off the charts.
April weaves baskets
Of jonquils and bunnies;
May summons bumblebees
Brimming with honey...
Many a bride says 'I Do'
In fair June;
July's blazing skies
Call for flag-bearing tunes...
Sweet August is sunrise;
September, full moon;
October breathes harvests
That cause geese to swoon...
In times of November
Great tables are laden;
But once comes December,
Fine snow slows to 'fade-in'
When that last day arrives:
[December '3' with a '1']
It excitedly bellows,
THIS YEAR'S ABOUT DONE !!!
poem by L.P.-G. / 12-2024
Around
the time of 1967,
the rock group Procol Harum debuted its Conquistador song; the lyrics began, "Conquistador your stallion stands...in need of
company"
Yet, to many, the word 'Conquistador' conjures up horrific imagery, and rightly so. Conquistadors were essentially out to vanquish lands that weren't legitimately theirs; these Spanish and Portuguese soldiers from the 15th-17th century overpowered much of the world, most notably [as is well documented] the Central and Southern Americas.
What's more, Christopher Columbus was a 'conqueror'
not a mere innocent explorer. Oh! Shame on Eurocentrism for pretending
otherwise.
Not convinced?? Here is one of the statements
ascribed to Mr. Columbus, himself: "We shall take you, and your wives and children, and
make slaves of them, and [as such] shall sell and dispose of them...We shall
take your goods, and shall do you all the mischief and damage that we can..."
Wow, this past October 14th I was getting a spinal MRI and didn't even recognize it was Columbus Day. Now, however, I do grasp how inaccurate my grade-school and high school history books were !!
