Author Archives: JMN

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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.

‘2013-8-15’

Posted on October 15, 2023 by JMN

This is the second of 3 poems by Zakaria Mohammed published in the September 2023 edition of Poetry magazine. They date from 2013. (I noted the first one here). English translations by Lena Khalaf Tuffaha are in the Poetry issue … Continue reading →

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United We Stand Up and Yell, ‘FIGHT!’

Posted on October 10, 2023 by JMN

THE UNITED KINGDOM“Stand up and fight… etc. Stand up and fight – because when you stand up and fight,… etc… stands up and fights. And when… etc… stands up and fights,… etc… stands up and fights. And when… etc… stands … Continue reading →

Posted in Quotations | Tagged | 7 Comments

‘Somewhat Impenetrable to Outsiders’

Posted on October 8, 2023 by JMN

“Cricket is first and foremost a dramatic spectacle. It belongs with theater, ballet, opera and the dance.” (Trinidadian Marxist thinker C.L.R. James) Cricket may be “somewhat impenetrable” to outsiders, per The Times, but only to those who resist penetration. The … Continue reading →

Posted in Commentary | Tagged , , , | 3 Comments

Make England Grow Again

Posted on October 5, 2023 by JMN

At the MEGA confab in Manchesterthe conurbation’s thrumming with humbug.Bannon cannons bombast from his basement.Farage megaphones it, cuts a rug with Priti. Hardening arteries of reaction course with candlefire.Queues for Dutch rubs bend round every corner.Conning spoilers croon sweet nothings … Continue reading →

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Does ‘Maieutic’ Rhyme With ‘Epizootic’?

Posted on October 3, 2023 by JMN

“Rhyme is a bit like metaphor, a way of asserting a resemblance between otherwise distant terms.” (Kamran Javadizadeh) There’s the rhyming of abducted words pressed into sonic servitude on a lick and a whim, screaming at the end of their … Continue reading →

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Zakaria Mohammed’s Poem ‘2013-1-2’

Posted on September 30, 2023 by JMN

The September edition of Poetry magazine publishes 3 poems by Palestinian poet Zakaria Mohammed. English translations by Lena Khalaf Tuffaha accompany the Arabic texts. She publishes a translator’s note as well. The poet’s death on August 2, 2023, is noted … Continue reading →

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It’s Only Money, Ladies. Play Cricket!

Posted on September 27, 2023 by JMN

At this summer’s edition of the Hundred, a short-form cricket tournament in England, umpires for the men’s games — all of them men except for Redfern — were paid three times as much as umpires at the women’s games, seven … Continue reading →

Posted in Commentary, Quotations | Tagged , | 3 Comments

‘I Worry That It Will Feel Pointless to Even Try to Create in Public’

Posted on September 24, 2023 by JMN

But even those of us who don’t have a job directly threatened by A.I. think of writing that novel or composing a song or recording a TikTok or making a joke on social media. If we don’t have any protections … Continue reading →

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A-Hurtling and A-Hurling We Will Go

Posted on September 22, 2023 by JMN

But Murdoch’s legacy is decided. We are hurling toward another government shutdown, egged on by Hannity. (Michelle Goldberg) The New York Times performs to a high editorial standard in the matter of typos and misprints. When they do crop up, … Continue reading →

Posted in Commentary, Quotations | Tagged | 5 Comments

Pants, Shirt, Shoes, Socks, Skivvies & Hair on Fire

Posted on September 20, 2023 by JMN

“Facts by themselves don’t mean very much.” (Vladimir Medinsky) Vladimir Medinsky is Vladimir Putin’s ghost writer. He writes texts about Russian history under Putin’s name. From the start, Mr. Medinsky’s work was criticized by real Russian historians. But he never … Continue reading →

Posted in Commentary, Quotations | Tagged | 5 Comments