Category Archives: Anthology

My collected writings and those of family members.

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 →

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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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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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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 →

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The Poem of as-Samau’al (Mid-6th Century AD): Verses 6-11

Posted on April 22, 2023 by JMN

This post is continued from here. The segment evokes the lofty mountain refuge available to the speaker’s confederates, then exalts his tribe’s martial disposition and willingness to die in battle and avenge the fallen. 6 We have a mountain where … Continue reading →

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The Poem of as-Samau’al (Mid-6th Century AD): Verses 1-5

Posted on April 20, 2023 by JMN

The poem starts by positing traits that support a claim to being honorable and to merit good praise. Those traits are upstanding conduct and a capacity for resisting (enduring?) personal injury. Then, responding to provocation voiced by a woman, the … Continue reading →

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Sharon Olds: ‘I Want You Hour and Hour in My Line of Sight’

Posted on April 18, 2023 by JMN

Sharon Olds’s poem is called “To You, from Your Secret Admirer,” and it’s part of the selection contained in Poetry April 2023. It’s the steamiest poem I’ve read since encountering Louise Labé in college French and learning the ramifications of … Continue reading →

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Sharon Olds: ‘Nothing False Will Be Spoken’

Posted on April 16, 2023 by JMN

I traversed Sharon Olds’s selection of poems in Poetry (April 2023) fresh in the morning and they entered me fluently, with almost no friction. It’s a rare and wonderful reading experience where POMAG fare is concerned. This has happened to … Continue reading →

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If You Believe in ‘Random’ Words, Reconsider

Posted on April 8, 2023 by JMN

Programming code as I understand it is language that tells a computer what to do. It has customarily been written by humans. I’ve written it. Code has to be very literal and deliberate.The machine, traditionally, is clueless as a stump. … Continue reading →

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