Tag Archives: rhetoric

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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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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Keep What Holds the Light Unbroken

Posted on January 16, 2026 by JMN

The Gleb on a Gnat’s Vesicle— After Donne. How do we rue you, cunning tongue?Grant us, sir, spit out a lung.Perdition’s grease fire. Odium’s pimp.Perversity’s pal. Plague’s piece of tail.Malice engorged. Enormity in a suit.Torrent of keening. Badmouth bard.Punch down, … Continue reading →

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And That’s Okay, But Don’t Worry, It’s Under Control’

Posted on January 13, 2026 by JMN

Remarks by podcaster Jason Staples have led me to ponder the notion of “original” language relative to scriptures widely known via translation. My attention was drawn to Staples’s comment that the Book of Revelations “has mixed metaphors all over the … Continue reading →

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And One More Thing…

Posted on November 17, 2025 by JMN

I adore compression and spareness, and Infinite Jest, finished at 7:29PM on 11-16-25, is bloated and prolix. It tells you something that it’s a novel with footnotes. Hundreds of them. During the periods when I ground my teeth, it tracked … Continue reading →

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Enshittified* Cadence of the Unitaries

Posted on November 6, 2025 by JMN

“When she says, ‘We have failed you,’ she means ‘We, the Democrats,’ okay?”— Speaker Mike Johnson(Say What? Archive) We.Other. Smother. Blight. Slight. Smite.Are.Invert. Divert. Revert. Subvert. Pervert.Not.Condemn. Conflate. Confuse. Concoct. Conspire.Them.Suck. Wreck. Mock. Block. Duck.They.Judge. Fudge. Dredge. Dodge. Purge.Are.Garble. Wrangle. … Continue reading →

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The Buck Stops… There (CAGA)

Posted on November 2, 2025 by JMN

“My message to America is, first, the fact that your government is failing you, right now. Poverty is not red or blue, is not a Republican or Democrat issue. If you are in a position that you can’t feed your … Continue reading →

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The Rivers That Reaches for the Ocean

Posted on September 6, 2025 by JMN

“You’re only given one little spark of madness. You mustn’t lose it.” (Robin Williams, quoted by Mitch Teemley) The Guadalupe reaches for the ocean.The Pedernales reaches for the ocean.The Rio Grande reaches for the ocean.The Colorado reaches for the ocean.The … Continue reading →

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‘Technically God Isn’t a “Him”’

Posted on July 3, 2025 by JMN

‘*Technically God isn’t a “him.” But the English language doesn’t provide a suitable singular, non-gender term for us to use (“it” implies an object or non-sentient being).’ (Mitch Teemley) Mitch Teemley’s observation touches usefully upon the volatile topic of “they” … Continue reading →

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