Tag Archives: language

(The Ruler Protests the Land That He Rules)

Posted on February 26, 2026 by JMN

(The ruler protests the land that he rules.)Don’t tar my riff, piggy, snarls the boar.Blast the damned Beatitudes with gas!(The ruler protests the land that he tools.)Blare the Ten Commandments in the schools!Your cities are the Sodoms of Gomorre!(The ruler … Continue reading →

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The Gentleman From Kentucky Rises to Eruct

Posted on February 23, 2026 by JMN

“Eruct” is a cultismo in English but common currency in Spanish as “eructar.” It means “to belch.” Let’s conjugate! ¡Conjuguemos! Present IndicativeI belch — eructo (eructas, eructa, eructamos, eructáis, eructan)Preterite IndicativeI belched — eructé (eructaste, eructó, eructamos, eructasteis, eructaron)Imperfect IndicativeI … Continue reading →

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Elephants Are Eminently Sentient

Posted on February 21, 2026 by JMN

ELEPHANTS ARE EMINENTLY SENTIENT Of course they are, you ninny. So is anAmoeba in its way. But these big beastsIn magnitude are titans of sweetness;Matriarchal, family prone, pacific,Communicative browsing herbivores. Pressed upon a time into the miseryOf cock-besotted, bipedal mammalians,Elephants … Continue reading →

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Degrees, Accolades, Publications, Affiliations (DAPA)

Posted on February 17, 2026 by JMN

DAPA and something about gender orientation and ethnicity are common data points in Poetry’s thumbnail profiles of contributors to the magazine. They’re like snapshots of bodybuilders flexed for pose-off. Musculature duly noted, but here’s what’s truly interesting: How do you … Continue reading →

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Upon this Slab Build Ye a Breakaway Church

Posted on February 13, 2026 by JMN

If I named God, I would name him more like a boatthan a dog, but more like a dog than a dead relative.(Leslie Sainz, from “When I imitate myself, I am a number of certain people,” Poetry, January-February 2026) The … Continue reading →

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Translation of ‘October With Wings’ by Azurea20

Posted on February 7, 2026 by JMN

“Translating a piece of verse can be the sincerest way of reading it.” Huda J. Fakhreddine No sé. I don’t know. They’re important words in any language. I know that I feel, if not what I feel, when a poem … Continue reading →

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Annals of Journalism

Posted on February 4, 2026 by JMN

Some burger joint names are hard to pin down. The following excerpt is from MySA (“My San Antonio”). Whataburger rival ramps up expansion with new $1M Texas outpost. This is the third Shack Shack coming to the Austin area in … Continue reading →

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Fire in the Casus Belly

Posted on February 1, 2026 by JMN

The Secretary of War and the Commander of War mustered the Brass at the Department of War. First the SOWThen the COWSettled the hashGood and properOf the BrassAt the DOW.B-B-B-BOOM!K-K-K-POW!NOBEL FOR PEACE!N-N-N-NOW! (c) 2025 JMN — EthicalDative. All rights reserved

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Three Rules With Tolerances

Posted on January 26, 2026 by JMN

RULE OF GOLDTreat others like you want to be treated. RULE OF IRONBelieve in Me or else. RULE OF THUMBSteer into the skid. TOLERANCES“Every trade works to different tolerances. Steel workers aim to be accurate within half an inch; carpenters … Continue reading →

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Europa to Americus: ‘Yassuh, Massah!’

Posted on January 23, 2026 by JMN

The Greek derivatives in English spurt from a font of abstruse vocables that gives us, say, “dithyramb” — “a passionate or inflated speech, poem or other writing.” It’s a short hop to coinage such as “pithyramb” — “a passionate or … Continue reading →

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