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Thought For the Day: Love the Life You Live. Life the Life You Love.
Posted in Thought For the Day
Tagged Bob Marley, Life, Live, Love, Thought For the Day
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First Principles: Life Is A Succession of Lessons Which Must Be Lived To Be Understood
“Life is a succession of lessons which must be lived to be understood.” – Ralph Waldo Emerson
Posted in First Principles
Tagged First Principles, Lessons, Life, Lived, Ralph Waldo Emerson, Suecession, Understood
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Several Levels From Myself
Several Levels From Myself
by Michael Doyle
Living life
Several levels from myself
I usually have my nose
Stuck in a book from a shelf
You were a swirl of perfection
Without a flaw in detection
What was I supposed to do
But to fall madly in love with you
My Christmas serenade
Was a plan I hadn't really made
One hello and I was done
As certain as certain, you were the one
Quickly in chaos spent adrift
You were always one to constantly shift
And I was the glad one to be there
As long as I could hold you near
So many storms blowing strong
But it felt right where I belong
Thought much of it was your making
Your dreamy eyes were risks worth taking
My Christmas serenade
Was a plan I hadn't really made
One hello and I was done
As certain as certain, you were the one
Some hinted that I better look out
In your arms, I had no doubt
You came to me in answer to a hope I pray
My gift from God, I hope you'll stay
Maybe braver hearts have fallen deeper
Here in my heart, I know you're a keeper
It was the path of God that brought us together
Being with you, there's nothing better
My Christmas serenade
Was a plan I hadn't really made
One hello and I was done
As certain as certain, you were the one
(c) December 18, 2024 Michael Doyle
All Rights Reserved
Posted in Poetry and Poems
Tagged Adrift, Answer, Ars, Being With You, Belong, Book, Certain, Chaos, Christmas Serenade, Detection, Done, Doubt, Dreamy Eyes, Flaw, Hello, Hint, Hope, Living Life, Look Out, Love, Making, Near, Nose, Nothing Better, Path of God, Perfection, Plan, Poetry and Poems, Pray, Risk, Self, Several Levels, Shift, Storms, Swirl, Taking, The one, Together
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First Principles: The Most Sacred of the Duties of A Government Is To Do Equal and Impartial Justice To All Citizens
“The most sacred of the duties of a government [is] to do equal and impartial justice to all citizens.” —Thomas Jefferson (1816)
Posted in First Principles
Tagged All Citizens, Duties, Equal, First Pricniples, Government, Impartial, Justice, Sacred, Thomas Jefferson
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Thought For the Day: Art Should Be Like A Holiday: Something To Give A Man the Opportunity To See Things Differently and To Change His Point of View
“Art should be like a holiday: something to give a man the opportunity to see things differently and to change his point of view.” -Paul Klee, painter (18 Dec 1879-1940)
Posted in Thought For the Day
Tagged Art, Change, Different, Holiday, Opportunity, Paul Klee, Point of View, Thought For the Day
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Gifts On this Morn
Gifts On This Morn
by Michael Doyle
It's just how it is since we were born
We await the superficial gifts of this morn
Excited eyes search around the Christmas tree
Wondering what presents are for you and me
Then when all the gifts have been found
And the garland and tinsel are unwound
We would take our toys to play outside
Having spent time to find, it was time to hide
Until the sun began setting down
And we knew supper was being laid down
We would gather around the family table
Stuffing ourselves as fully as able
That is, until we as parents became
The ones wanting our children to know the same
Times had changed and fun had become digital
Our children gathered around screens as able
It was no longer safe to go outside and play
And we parents find ourselves mourning yesterday
As we try to help our children still have fun
Wondering yet how all innocence has been undone
No carolers come through snowfall's moonlight
But still we gather around to sing it bright
Each note in its right place as we remember cheer
And keep our Christmases year after splendid year
We will not betray our warm and pleasant memories
So long as we can keep love shining in our families
And while the times have changed, we know no numbness
As we smile all the same and keep our love in oneness
All of our sequestered hearts are given
As we gather in the name of He who has forgiven
Christmas has come with its long memory
We gather our hearts together as one family
(c) December 17, 2024 Michael Doyle
All Rights Reserved
Posted in Poetry and Poems
Tagged Born, Carolers, Change, Cheer, Christmas Tree, Chrstmas, Digital, Excited Eyes, Family, Family Table, Find, Found, Fun, Garland, Gifts, Go Outside and Play, Hide, Innocence, Memory, Moonlight, Morn, Mourning Yesterday, Our Children, Outside, Parents, Poetry and Poems, Screens, Sun, Supper, Tinsel, Toys, Undone, Wonder
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First Principles: Peace Is the Real and Right Memorial For Those Who Have Died In War
“Peace is the real and right memorial for those who have died in war.” – Richard M. Nixon
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Tagged Death, First Principles, Memorial, Peace, Real, Richard M. Nixon, Right, War
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Thought For the Day: Is Sloppiness In Speech Caused By Ignorance Or Apathy? I Don’t Know and I Don’t Care
“Is sloppiness in speech caused by ignorance or apathy? I don’t know and I don’t care.” – William Safire
Posted in Thought For the Day
Tagged Apathy, Care, Ignorance, Know, Slopiness, Speech, Thought For the Day, William Safire
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Crossing Over From Greenpoint
Crossing Over From Greenpoint
by Michael Doyle
My crossing over from Greenpoint into the city
Every day was had via subway and was not pretty
And it was different for a Californian man
Yet, there was no other way into Manhattan
At least, not that made any kind of particular sense
Waking up that first day at dawn and without pretense
I began a pattern of photographing from morning until night
Starting with the crack of the morning's earliest light
Somehow, I managed to photograph NYC's every borough
I was following the guidebooks until I got to know
New York City well enough that the locals would ask
How to get to some places best, and what was my daily task
Though I have to admit, I remember a danceable anxiety
In learning the transit system in all of its complexity
And some walks seemed to go on forever at that time
But these mistakes let me discover moments of the sublime
Of all the cities, one finds the best food after midnight
Guided as I was by the city's buzz and amazing neon lights
Fruit stuffed breast of duck at 2 am and for under six
And a nature reserve or two hidden in the city's sticks
I told myself I was there to visit a friend in the hospital
And I did that, but the city was inviting and hospitable
I made the most of it that I could, even riding the ferry
Instead of unfriendliness, I made friends to the contrary
Finding that The Bronx Zoo and Central Park were just two
Of the sights that brought perspective and gave a view
That held memories like horse-drawn carriages to ride
And the joy of finding open hearts to which I did confide
The joy of crossing over from Greenpoint to St. John's morning
There were points like Little Odessa that bore its warning
But Coney Island and its hot dogs were a Sunday sort of treat
And did I mention the warm-hearted people I managed to meet?
And maybe it is true that remembering can find a way to lie
But looking back, I do not even begin to question as to why
Some of these memories of wandering will always be a treat
And did I mention the warm-hearted people I managed to meet?
(c) December 16, 2024 Michael Doyle
All Rights Reserved
Posted in Poetry and Poems
Tagged Bronx Zoo, brooklyn, Buzz, California, Central Park, Complexity, Coney Island, Crossing Over, Ferry, Food After Midnight, Friendliness, Getting Lost, Greenpoint, Horse-Drawn Cariage, Hospitable, Hospital, Hot Dogs, Little Oddessa, Manhattan, Memories, Morning Until Night, Neon Lights, New York City, Open Hearts, Photography, Poetry and Poems, Sights, St. John's, Sublime, Subway, Sunday, Transit System, Travel, Williamsburg
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Thought For the Day: Whoever It Was Who Searched the Heavens With A Telescope and Found No God Would Not Have Found the Human Mind If He Had Searched the Brain With A Microscope
“Whoever it was who searched the heavens with a telescope and found no God would not have found the human mind if he had searched the brain with a microscope.” – George Santayana
Posted in Thought For the Day
Tagged Brain, George Santayana, Heavens, Human Mind, Microscope, No God, Search, Telescope, Thought For the Day
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ALOHA PROMISES FOREVER 