Author Archives: JMN

About JMN

I live in Texas and devote much of my time to easel painting on an amateur basis. I stream a lot of music, mostly jazz, throughout the day. I like to read and memorize poetry.

It’s About Being About Stuff

Posted on May 18, 2023 by JMN

It’s about God and Country. It’s about We the People. It’s about How the West Was Won. It’s about Living Off the Land. It’s about the Constitution. It’s about Good Policing. It’s about Secure Schools. It’s about Mental Health. It’s … Continue reading →

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Arabic and Me

Posted on May 17, 2023 by JMN

Pursuit of a resistant task, if persevered in stubbornly and passionately at any age, even if only for a short time, generates a kind of cognitive opiate that has no equivalent… The beautiful paradox is that pursuing things we may … Continue reading →

Posted in Quotations | Tagged , , | 2 Comments

Portmanteau Play

Posted on May 14, 2023 by JMN

I love classic portmanteau words such as “spurious” — a blend of “specious” and “curious.” It’s fun to invent new ones and fantasize that one day they, too, may “go viral” as the expression puts it. A triumph of mine … Continue reading →

Posted in Anthology | Tagged , | 6 Comments

The Poem of as-Samau’al (Mid-6th Century AD): Verses 17-22 (End)

Posted on May 13, 2023 by JMN

This post is continued from here. 17 “Our fire was never snuffed out to a sojourner, and no traveller stopping over has found us wanting.18 “Our days are well known to our enemy. They have marked blazes and pasterns.19 “Our … Continue reading →

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French and Script Plus Line! Christopher Marc Ford Dazzles

Posted on May 12, 2023 by JMN

“figures of dissent” 10/05/23 « Je veux que ce trait serve à [te] dessiner … » – Notre-Dame-des-Fleurs Instagram figures of dissent — Christopher Marc Ford

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From Darkness Into the Light

Posted on May 11, 2023 by JMN

A disgraced politician once promised his followers he’d win so much they’d get tired of all the winning. “Always remember any idiot can win,” Hugh Laurie’s father, an Olympic rowing medalist, told his son. “What he meant,” said Laurie, “was … Continue reading →

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Addled Addiction Ditty

Posted on May 8, 2023 by JMN

You get locked so hard into a wicked beatit’s hard to get locked out.You’re like rocked in you are so into it,so all you do is you rock out.Rock your socks off, get your rocks off,all fucked up is what … Continue reading →

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‘Drawing Is a Way of Thinking’

Posted on May 7, 2023 by JMN

As a drawing curator at the Museum of Modern Art in New York, Ms. Rose organized exhibitions that showed how drawings were far more than preliminary works executed mainly on paper. “Bernice showed generations of curators and collectors that drawing … Continue reading →

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Lie, Lay, Etc.: Humdrum Conundrum

Posted on May 5, 2023 by JMN

I always lay my keys on the table when I get home. I laid them there an hour ago. They lay there undisturbed last night, and they’ll lie there tomorrow until I need the car. Using lie-lay-lain and lay-laid-laid according … Continue reading →

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The Poem of as-Samau’al (Mid-6th Century AD): Verses 12-16

Posted on May 3, 2023 by JMN

This post is continued from here. Several themes lace the segment. Equine imagery around insemination and baby-bearing evokes the “purity” of the tribal blood lines. The virtue of generosity is touched upon, along with an ability to exert dominance through … Continue reading →

Posted in Anthology | Tagged , , , | 6 Comments