“Women hold up half the sky” is a dictum of Mao Zedong cited by China’s current ruler, Xi Jinping, to endorse the equality of the sexes. Here’s his mission statement for the “equal” woman: “The broad number of women must … Continue reading
An old saying for something that’s drearily predictable is, “It’s as sure as dearth and Texas.” Dearth is so prevalent, it’s easier to name things there’s not a dearth of: inequality and bad weather come to mind. Weather can be … Continue reading
My title is, in full, a text message received from a correspondent in early morning with no context. I read it silently then more attentively aloud. With growing alarm I realized it was a perfect dactylic pentameter. Rubbing sleep from … Continue reading
“What I teach you is nothing. What you learn by doing over and over is where the learning begins.” (Simon Michael) “Writing poetry is much easier … Five Quotes About …
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I’ve filched my title from the standup comedy of the matchless Gary Gulman. If you don’t know him, you owe it to yourself to track down on YouTube, exempli gratia, his explanation of how the states got their abbreviations. (c) … Continue reading
My pendant whatnots had a fiery itch. I bashfully exposed them to the Dermatologist. “It’s excruciating,” I said. She cast her glance and looked up brightly. “Ah yes, I see what you mean,” she said. I pressed for amplification. “It’s … Continue reading
Generative artificial intelligence is a colossal genie blasting out of its bottle as we speak. A key player in the crowded field is named Altman. Get it? Altman —> Alt + Man —> Alternative Man. I made the name up … Continue reading
Score: Thunberg 1, Tate 0. Game over! (c) 2022 JMN — EthicalDative. All rights reserved
While washing up dishes on Christmas morning I happened to hear the King’s Christmas Message on British radio. It was Charles the Third’s first go at what his mother had done 69 times before him, a ritual address to the … Continue reading
EthicalDative 
‘You Have to Be Interested in the Playfulness of Poetry’
[Billy Collins] sat on a bench and watched some students playing Wiffle ball on a quad. “You have to be interested in the playfulness of poetry to want to keep writing it,” he said. Then, as if to shoo away … Continue reading →