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On Angels and Messengers

Thursday, October 28, 2010

TOWARD FULFILLMENT

(Reprise from April 11, 2010 - with one word change)




    Where are you going, my Little One ...?

We choose our path and pack our own duffel,
     mostly with stuff that's not worth its weight;
         and we set out on our own private odyssey --
             or perhaps we wait for a ship that never comes.

Though never quite sure where we are going,
     we are guided by Wisdom bought with pain
         and by a gift of Grace, which somehow appears,
             perhaps delivered by a prophet, or just by a friend.

The Cloud of Unknowing hides some distractions
      and we suddenly realize what we've known all along:
          that Being Loved is the place we have been longing for;
              and Loving is the only way that will surely get us there.
       
                    All the rest is colored bubbles.

Thursday, October 14, 2010

Part I. CRITICISM FROM OTHERS

From CRITICISM,  A TRILOGY


FOREWORD

My head wrote this poem to buoy up my heart 
     when it was low in the water. 
It worked -- so now we offer this verse to you, 
     with sincere hope that you’ll find something useful. 
If you don’t like what it says or how it’s said, 
     we really don’t give a dust bunny.


It’s Not About You

Do not take to heart
     any judgmental comments from others.
Cynics and most critics
     are cursed with a relentless itch --
A need to convince themselves
     that they are not inferior to others.

They project their fears and inadequacies
     onto whomever they can.
So when they make disparaging remarks,
     it is one self-image chastising another.
Neither one is yours.
     It’s not about you at all.

If someone throws bricks at you,
     do not stoop to throw them back.
Build something with them --
     perhaps a wall around your garden.
Leave an open gate – you want a boundary,
     not a fortress or a prison.

Elitism is a Euphemism

Snobbery is Insecurity all dressed up
     in fancy, musty clothes from a stuffy attic.
False Pride is Shame going the ball --
     but dreading midnight.
Snobs are afraid they’ll be found out
     to be like everyone else, frail and flawed.

Most of their shortcomings matter very little,
     but one crucial virtue is lacking.
Humility – the habit of seeing yourself
     as you truly are, not as you wish to be.
Once you accept the truth,
     there is nothing left to prove.

Part II. SELF-CRITICISM
Reprise from April 6, 2010

From CRITICISM: A TRILOGY

The Road To Perfection

The harshest critic is usually the Judge within you
     taking over the task begun by your parents.
Perhaps it’s time to send that judge down the road –
     and to exile the Judge’s soul-mate, the Victim --
that pin-cushion Martyr, with arrows by the hundreds
     sticking into him or her from all angles.

Do you set higher standards for yourself
     than you do for others? Isn’t that Vanity?
Why be so slow to forgive yourself for making errors,
     when you would so quickly forgive a friend?
Do you think you can achieve Perfection?
     If so, you’ve already made one big mistake.

Accept the fact that the Road to Perfection
     has not been completed -- nor will it ever be.
Check all your baggage except for one knapsack,
     then tear up the ticket and travel light.
Let the Judge and Victim trudge toward Perfection,
     while you head toward Fulfillment instead.

Your Garden

Peer into a mirror as if it were a window
     looking out on a garden.
Then step outside into that garden
     and just admire it for a while.
Now you may look around for weeds,
     but go slowly and carefully with the hoe.

Every new sprout is not an evil alien invader
     on a mission to choke your petunias.
Welcome some wildflowers,
     like Spontaneity and at least a little Risk.
Trust Helen Keller -- “Life is a daring adventure or nothing.
     Security is mostly a superstition.

Take time often to water your garden,
     but not with a fire hose.
Compassion is a persistent shower,
     but a gentle one --
Enough to wash the dust from the leaves
     and refresh the thirsty roots.

Now go somewhere else
     and do something different.
Come back in the morning light to see how well
     the garden grew during the night --
Simply because you turned it over and left it alone --
     trusting that all would be well. It is.

Part III. CONSTRUCTIVE CRITICISM


From CRITICISM,  A TRILOGY


Criticism Without Condescension

The only criticism of any value
     is Constructive Criticism, kindly offered.
Patronization is a hollow bone,
     useful only as a weapon.
Sincerity is the marrow needed for growth.
     Pick no bones without it.


Whom Do You Trust?

Seek the advice of someone with no agenda
     other than to help you.
Someone trustworthy, truthful and tactful,
     who will say what they truly believe.
Don’t bother if you’re just looking for someone
     to agree with you.

Put your own opinion on a shelf, for now,
     to make room in your head for new ideas.
Listen with an open mind
     and adopt ony the ideas that willl work for you.
The finest new clothes may not come in your size.
     Borrow only those that fit.

Value the opinion of a simple man,
     though he may lack tact or eloquence.
Unencumbered by pride or reputation,
     he often sees more clearly than the experts.
With childlike honesty, he will give you his view,
     and be delighted that you asked for it.


Divine Guidance

Tech support is available from our manufacturer.
     Call him -- anytime, any topic, no cost!
Smarter than Google, though slower than a turtle,
     with answers tailored to your needs.
It’s not necessary to put your question into words,
     or even into complete thoughts.

You won’t be addressed by a voice from the sky –
     unless you’re Charlton Heston.
It will be more like a telepathic message
     from Jiminy Cricket, perhaps when you’re asleep.
Wish upon that star … then wait … patiently ... quietly …
     and the answer will seep into you.

Without your knowing when it happened,
     you’ll realize that you can see more clearly.
When you get this gift that some call Grace,
     do what Mom taught you: say, “Thank You!”.
Somehow, the fog will have faded away –
     and you will know what is right and true.


AFTERWORD -- An Earworm for You to Sing and Share


“Has anybody here --
     seen a judge and a victim?
Can you tell me where they hide?”
     “I thought I saw them trudgin’
Down the road to Perfection,
     with Anger, a Martyr, and Pride.”


LAST WORD
Copyright 2010, V. J. Lucid and The Attention Deficit Compan
      but feel free to forward it to friends.
It’s too big to chew without cutting it up,
      so each part and many verses are written to stand alone.
If you like it,  please tell DrSpeedbump@DrSpeedbump.com
If you don’t like it, you can't image the size of the dust bunny I do not give.

CHORAL DEMERIT SYSTEM

ATTENTION CHORAL DIRECTORS !
Are you tired of saying the same things over and over to maintain discipline.
Here's what you have to do:
  • Post this Demerit System on the bulletin board at the beginning of the season.
  • Appoint your spunkiest Alto to keep score.
  • Concentrate on the music.
http://DrSpeedbump.com/ChoralDemeritSystem.html

Tuesday, October 12, 2010

FREE-SCORES.COM

Here's a web-site where you can download public-domain sheet music, as well as compositions by contemporary composers.  I've posted some of my music there.  "Glory to God" was downloaded 80 times over the weekend.  My "Ave Maria" has been downloaded over 150 times in two weeks.  You can even hear an MP3 of somebody with a mediocre voice singing a demo of "A Father's Lullaby:  There will Always be Dragons to Slay".  Check it out.

http://www.free-scores.com/Download-PDF-Sheet-Music-vincent-lucid.htm

Sunday, October 10, 2010

All the Forest Creatures

All the forest creatures, 
     small and great,
          held their furry or feathery breath
as Prince Franklin hovered
     over the tranquil, nubile waif on her mossy bed,
          still asleep despite the lightning and thunder,
and with his trembling, noble hands, 
     descending like parachutes toward her snow-white 
          (actually off-white, yet still virginal) bosom -- 
Franklin suddenly pushed the buttons on the paddles
     that he had wired to a tin-foil kite,
          and authoritatively yelled Clear!,
scaring the droppings 
     out of all the forest creatures, 
          small and great.

TRUSTING in GOD

Suppose you’re on the edge of a cliff, the brink of the Unknown.
You’re facing the setting sun, an angry sea behind you, far below.
Suppose God asks you to stand on your toes,
raise your arms into a crucifixion pose -- and fall backwards,
trusting that the ocean has been filled with God's Grace.
Could you do it?  There's no shame in saying "No".
So, let’s try something with a little less risk.
Shall we?

Go into your bedroom tonight and turn off the light.
Close the door, leaving your worries in the hall --
preferably in a plastic bag, all tied-up tight.
Sit on the foot of your bed and say two little prayers:
one for someone you know, and another for someone you don't.
Then, try to sit for at least a minute without thinking at all.
Just listen.  In the Darkness, God says, "Trust Me."
Did you hear it?

God says your Guardian Angel just sprinkled Grace
all over your blanket, like Tinkerbell and her pixie dust.
She stuffed some in your pillow, too; and there’s plenty left over.
(If you recall, God had planned to fill the ocean with Grace.)
Now, fall backwards from your sitting position,
rest your head on that pillow and cover up with that blanket.
Let God keep the world spinning for a while without your help.
Can you do it?

Let go, Dear Heart, and sleep in serenity
trusting that God will send the Morning Sun
to bring warmth, light for your path and new hope.
Perhaps the Garbage Angel will pick up your worries before you awaken.
Above all, remember God's promise to bless you
with all the Grace you’ll need to get through One More Day.
Since the day you were born, God has always kept that promise.
Hasn't She?

Saturday, October 2, 2010

Glossary of Seldom-Used Music Terms




Dr Speedbump’s                                                   
 Glossary of Seldom-Used Music Terms 3.5
Page 1 of 2


al dente

with a toothy grin; (see liberace)

al Fredo

heart-breaking

al Pacino

violent, but charming

altissimo

as high as you can sing

analgesia

gradually emerge from a painfully slow tempo

anchovi

few will like this section; (see broccoli)

anesthesia

slow enough to put the audience to sleep

archipelago

extremely stretched out

aria guitaria

air guitar

aria guitaria segovia

very good air guitar

asphyxia

squirming around to get more comfortable

awolto

an alto absent without notifying the director

broccoli

distasteful, but doesn’t stink as bad as anchovi

bromo salsa

a dance that follows anchovi pizza molto presto

caracas

crisp; (see dorito and tostito)

cleavagio

whole notes smushed together but still distinct

clipiti clopiti

in the style of Gene Autry; (see palomino)

colorado

beautiful, except where it’s flat

con supina

sing even if you don’t want to

counter tenor

a singing waiter at a diner

da Vinci

be inventive; make something up

de Julio

campy, but in an oriental style

de Niro

forget about it; the composer’s not talking to you

disconcerto

falling apart when the conductor loses his place

domino

finish in 30 minutes or less or you don't get paid

dorito

corny; one variation of caracas

dumbo

heavy, but soaring

el Greco

distorted, like everything by this composer

fargo

from a distance

farina

fine but distasteful

fraudulento

sung slowly, faking the words

gambino

in control with conviction (don't screw it up)

gelatino

generally shaky

generalissimo

with a commanding voice

graziano

a rocky, medium-heavy rhythm; (see marciano)

innuendo

very suggestively

karo

sickeningly sweet

largo cargo

slow and heavy

largo con fuego

a slow burn

liberace

with gaity, al dente, in a tuxedo


Glossary
of Seldom-Used Music Terms
Page 2 of 2


linguini

a very thin tone

marciano

a rocky, very heavy rhythm; (see graziano)

martini pimento

ornamentation with no real purpose

mea culpa

with lots of mistakes

mea maxima culpa

the worst mistake imaginable

nolo prima

miss the entrance

oleo

saturated with flats

omaha

flat and boring

palomino

more uniform than pinto, ala Gene Autry

pinto

with contrasting spots; (see clipiti clopiti)

paterno

with blind determination, ad infinitum

payola

you must pay to play; i.e., no union musicians

pinnochio

played stiffly with strings

pizza molto

very flat

pizza pepperoni

with zest, but still flat

pizza poco

just a little flat

pizza poco a poco

getting flatter all the time

pp

what you should have done before the concert

priapistico

performed while standing for more than 4 hours

primi

start way too soon

quasi modo

moving along at half-speed

quasi morte angelina

beautiful but fading; literally “like a dying angel”

repugnissimo

very disgusting

rico

executed by an ensemble

riga morte

stiff and very dull; quiet but not soft

rigatoni

a more robust tone; (see linguini)

rondo bondo

a recurring theme, each time by a different instrument, but never as well as the second one; always rehearsal section 007

sara palino

totally unprepared, stopping halfway through

semolina

coarse and gritty

siberia

no sorento, ever

silencio

a cappella tutti (orchestra, chorus and soloists)

soni bono

literally “a good sound”, but really a bit irritating

sorento

go back to this place; (synonymous with DS)

stubato

stumbling painfully along

tipperari

from an even greater distance than fargo

topeka

there’s absolutely nothing to do in this section

toledo

very exciting, compared to omaha or topeka

tostito

another variation of caracas (see dorito)

vivace fortissimo subito

wake the audience up; (see anesthesia)

wasilla vista

see siberia

zombi

riga morte quasi modo


THE SABBATH STORY

With all creation manifested
On the seventh day God rested
At least that’s what we’re taught the Good Book sayeth.
We have observed the Sabbath Day
Watching Namath or McNabbath play
(God was unemployed per se, 'til day the e-ighth.)

Jews and Seventh Day Adventists
Except the bankers and the dentists
Were so zealous they began their work on Sunday.
They tried to start their work week over
But couldn’t sell it to Jehovah
(So, they’re saddled with a Sabbath off by one day.)

They do all their chores on Sunday
Sabbath Saturday is fun day
In the Fall they watch a lot of college ball.
If they could have they’re druthers, though
They’d watch Peyton or his brother throw
(Pro games they wouldn't get to see at all.)

But Lo! A would-be savior came
Howard Cosell of boxing fame
Before he died, he saved them, somewhat, from their plight.
If you believe this Sabbath story
Give Howard thanks and praise and glory
(For his gift of one more game, on Monday night.)