Tag Archives: language

Knaughty Knots

Posted on January 19, 2023 by JMN

If you’ve worked with lumber you know knots are harder than other parts of the wood. Their toughness can stymie a handsaw and defeat a nail. There was once a vogue in home-building circles for “knotty pine.” Prized for its … Continue reading →

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What Are We Wading For?

Posted on January 13, 2023 by JMN

A poem by Richard Reeve introduced me to the accipiter. I Googled it to find it’s a cadillac of a hawk built for fast flight in woodlands. Love the word. I listened to the online pronunciator for good measure. The … Continue reading →

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A Paean to Noma

Posted on January 9, 2023 by JMN

All these words are Pete Wells’s words. I’ve merely culled them selectively from his essay on Noma into a poem-like structure. I’m darned if there’s not a Whitmanesque vibe to it. It was here in the reindeer lichen and puffed … Continue reading →

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Way Too Much Confession

Posted on January 7, 2023 by JMN

I’m aware that I read poetry in too forensic a way, particularly poetry of the moment. Is it because I identify as a translator? I broach a new poem in English with a cocked snoot, I’m afraid. It’s recognizable as … Continue reading →

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Bluebonnet Kool-aid: Funky Word Doodles

Posted on January 4, 2023 by JMN

Fly me to the moonand let me play among the stars.Let me see what life is likeon Jupiter and Mars.In other words,hold my hand,in other words,darling, kiss me. Bart Howard’s old song makes no sense! There’s no oxygen to breathe … Continue reading →

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Constrained to Endure Despite?

Posted on January 4, 2023 by JMN

For studying Arabic, Congruent (1) translations can be invaluable for working out particulars of the language’s behavior. Freewheeling translations are more pleasing to read, but can be “noisy” in a such a way as to create their own problems. Does … Continue reading →

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The Bro Mob: Meta, Not Beta

Posted on January 2, 2023 by JMN

“Last month, Mark Zuckerberg spent hours touting his love of jiujitsu, wrestling and UFC [Ultimate Fighting Championship] on Joe Rogan’s podcast, which is known for its hypermasculinity. Watching TV was not active enough, Mr. Zuckerberg said. “Compared with social media, … Continue reading →

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‘Mystique of Belatedness’: Mything the Point

Posted on December 31, 2022 by JMN

Thank you for your visits to this blog and for indulging its mischief in 2022. More joy and less loss be ahead for each and all! (JMN) “I’m convinced. Eliot finished poetry off.” (Matthew Walther) The problem is not that … Continue reading →

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‘We Have to Make Forms That Celebrate the Possibilities’: Torkwase Dyson

Posted on December 29, 2022 by JMN

“The paintings introduced a range of blue colors — oceanic, but resisting a direct reading.” This review bristles with strange energy, coercive structures, geographies of enclosure, and the verb catalyze. But of all the advanced art talk on display, my … Continue reading →

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Angry Centrist?

Posted on December 29, 2022 by JMN

“When was the last time you encountered an angry, inflexible centrist who aggressively demanded that you see things from several points of view?” (Brian L. Ott) (Brian L. Ott, “I Studied [***’s] Twitter Use for Six Years. Prepare for the … Continue reading →

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