[Baldwin]

I think we'll see a rise in the popularity of amateur village musicians. In fact, I think all face-to-face entertainment will take rise as we can no longer maintain TV/internet infrastructure.\

I plan on being the village bagpiper...

[FourOfSwords]

Through cracks in the moss covered wall,
I sometimes see a glimpse
Of the old fellow I used to be



From my balcony,
I’ve watched a beautiful
Blossom grow from a tiny seed.
My daughter calls up to me;
‘Come on dad, let’s play…’

My hand at some Zen poetry...
A.

[FourOfSwords]

Max Ehrmann


Desiderata

Go placidly amid the noise and haste,
and remember what peace there may be in silence.
As far as possible without surrender
be on good terms with all persons.
Speak your truth quietly and clearly;
and listen to others,
even the dull and the ignorant;
they too have their story.
Avoid loud and aggressive persons,
they are vexations to the spirit.
If you compare yourself with others,
you may become vain and bitter;
for always there will be greater and lesser persons than yourself.
Enjoy your achievements as well as your plans.
Keep interested in your own career, however humble;
it is a real possession in the changing fortunes of time.
Exercise caution in your business affairs;
for the world is full of trickery.
But let this not blind you to what virtue there is;
many persons strive for high ideals;
and everywhere life is full of heroism.
Be yourself.
Especially, do not feign affection.
Neither be cynical about love;
for in the face of all aridity and disenchantment
it is as perennial as the grass.
Take kindly the counsel of the years,
gracefully surrendering the things of youth.
Nurture strength of spirit to shield you in sudden misfortune.
But do not distress yourself with dark imaginings.
Many fears are born of fatigue and loneliness.
Beyond a wholesome discipline,
be gentle with yourself.
You are a child of the universe,
no less than the trees and the stars;
you have a right to be here.
And whether or not it is clear to you,
no doubt the universe is unfolding as it should.
Therefore be at peace with God,
whatever you conceive Him to be,
and whatever your labors and aspirations,
in the noisy confusion of life keep peace with your soul.
With all its sham, drudgery, and broken dreams,
it is still a beautiful world.
Be cheerful.
Strive to be happy.
Max Ehrmann, Desiderata, Copyright 1952.

This has become my favorite poem of late.
A.

[FourOfSwords]

Far back past deep, dark, silent trees
where no city's seed has e're been sown,
in a forest by the crashing seas,
there lives the hermit all alone.
Wouldn't leave if, per chance, he could;
the slightest change would raise his ire.
Content to wander in the wood,
to dream alone beside the fire.

...and this one about the solitary life...
A.

[peaker_2005]

Fire, leaping out from near the northside hill,
The call, "she's going under, come fast!"
But though the trucks that once traveled,
From east to west and home again
Are started, none shall arrive.

The men, upon that hill, wait for the cooling water,
But it does not come.
In vain, they try, with what they have, to snuff it out.

A southerly, strong and sure, comes from the cool and cold,
providing with it fuel for the flame,
This is the story of the country lost, without a name,
The one known as ambiguous at best.

Once, she were the king and queen of all the lands of earth,
Now rotting, vile, corrupt, and ill-kept.
Hope, which once was its foundation, now is gone and lost,
Simply 'cause nobody counted cost.

"Caution, caution!" Called the wind,
"You're running out of fuel,
And soon, your all shall come to dust,
From dust is where you've come, and to there you shall return,
Fueled by your anger and your lust.

In early days, you went in earnest, though somewhat misaligned,
Eventually, you grew and smartened up.
But then, with time, you became cold, angry, hard, and bitter,
Seeking power for only power's sake.

And within you, quite deep, is fear,
Fear of the end - your dread,
Filling you with terror in your dreams
So in your haste you unleashed a terror of your own,
And soon, the like shall come to you.

You should have built yourself on love,
But instead on hate you dwell, and to this day
And hour it consumes you,
Hate begets hate, and it returns
ten times ten thousand in fury,
Unforgiving, bitter and destructive.

And from now, from this day on forward,
It's only down from here,
The time is at hand.

====

It's a bit vague, It kind of skirts the destructive phase, but I haven't got there yet.

(c) C Stevens.