“Simplicity of life, even the barest, is not a misery, but the very foundation of refinement.” – William Morris, designer, poet, and novelist (24 Mar 1834-1896)
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Thought For the Day: Simplicity of Life, Even the Barest, Is Not A Misery, But the Very Foundation of Refinement
Posted in Thought For the Day
Tagged Bare, Foundation, Life, Misery, Refinement, Simplicity, Thought For the Day, William Morris
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First Principles: We Can Easily Forgive A Child Who Is Afraid of the Dark; the Real Tragedy Is When Men Are Afraid of the Light
“We can easily forgive a child who is afraid of the dark; the real tragedy is when men are afraid of the light.” – Plato
Posted in First Principles
Tagged Afraid, Child, Dark, Easy, First Principles, Forgive, Light, Men, Plato
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Thought For the Day: Science Gives Us Knowledge, But Only Philosophy Can Give Us Wisdom
“Science gives us knowledge, but only philosophy can give us wisdom.”– Will Durant
Posted in Thought For the Day
Tagged Knowledge, Philosophy, Science, Thought For the Day, Will Durant, Wisdom
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Grief and Memory
Grief and Memory
by Michael Doyle
Admittedly, I have never really been one
To follow the lives of those holding celebrity
For the most part, when it's all said and done
I've had even less time for British royalty
But the turn of news imparted quite recently
Deserves more than ever to be treated with dignity
After so many whispered wounds into TV comedy
It turns out a young lady is stricken with malady
Cancer is no stranger as it practices its cruelty
It has decimated many members of my close family
We've all learned that we are as strong as we must be
I, for one, earnestly pray this is not Kate's end story
Casual jeans and a striped sweater found her on a beach
To share her modest truth and not to posture or preach
Processing a strong mindset, and not one of regret
But of hope and dignity, the likes of which is not to forget
But to remember and allow it to set an example to follow
Of a mother with young children, desperately in need of tomorrow
I know that I am not alone in cursing late night and paparazzi
For bleeding false headlines for profit and mocking the tragedy
That comes to be the end for so many friends, foes, and unknown
In times that most need compassion and yet no mercy is shown
Let's not allow Kate Middleton to crash into her underpass
But instead, let's reject the unfeeling and critically crass
Colbert's tabloid leanings managed to spill the staining tea
Of a man whose conspiracy theories pass as unvarnished comedy
But, like so many of us who could use a healthy dose of decency
The supper sung for should be tuned toward needed civility
It's not surprising that some criticize in their mediocrity
That Kate Middleton and her family lacked a glossy media strategy
Perhaps these mongrels need to face-down their own tragedy
So that they can afford others needed respect and dignity
(c) March 22, 2024 Michael Doyle
All Rights Reserved
Posted in Poetry and Poems
Tagged Beach, Bleed, British Royalty, Canncer, Casual Jeans, Celebrity, Civility, Colbert, Compassion, Crass, Cruel, Decency, Dignity, Example, False Headlines, Family, Follow, Grief and Memory, Hope and Dignity, Kate Middleton, Late Night, Malady, Media Strategy, Mercy, Mindset, Modest Truth, Mongrels, Mother With Young Children, News, No Stranger, Paparazzi, Poetry and Poems, Posture, Pray, Preach, Regret, Reject, Respect and Dignity, Said and Don, Strong, Strong As We Must Be, Tomorrow, Tragedy, Treat, TV Comedy, Underpass, Unfeeling, Whispered Wounds
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First Principles: The Extravagant Expenditure of Public Money Is An Evil Not To Be Measured By the Value of That Money To the People Who are Taxed For It
“The extravagant expenditure of public money is an evil not to be measured by the value of that money to the people who are taxed for it.” – Chester Arthur
Posted in First Principles
Tagged Evil, Expenditure, Extravagant, First Principles, Measure, Mony, Public Money, Tax, The People, Value
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Thought For the Day: The Number of College Degrees Is Not Nearly As Important As How Well Students Develop Cognitive Skills, Such As Critical Thinking and Problem-Solving Ability
“Economists who have studied the relationship between education and economic growth confirm what common sense suggests: The number of college degrees is not nearly as important as how well students develop cognitive skills, such as critical thinking and problem-solving ability.” – Derek Bok
The Love In Your Eyes
The Love In Your Eyes
by Michael Doyle
We look for love in the life we embrace
We struggle to find our footing in this place
There is nothing left for us to explain
How it is that we've walked past life's pain
The struggles that we happen on are found
It fills us with purposes by which we're bound
With so many questions on our tortured minds
We worry that we might somehow be left behind
Until finally it comes to somehow slip out
We find the one who removes all angst and doubt
In the raw of what we find to be real
It's the accidental kiss that seals the deal
In all the secrets that we keep
It's the truth that it's really not that deep
Feeling on top of the world in every way
We become king and queen of our bonding day
How much of ourselves do we reveal
It's the tears behind the smile that we feel
We need so much to find the kindness
That will somehow replace the cold blindness
That makes this world its special puzzle
God-given, we keep ourselves on muzzle
Watching exactly what it is that we say
Though we want to be closer in every way
Promises made are promises meant to be kept
Whatever comes our way or the tears wept
It's there in everything that we openly say
Knowing our feelings are real and not for play
We fall in love with all of who we are
Wishing on that bright and shining star
The one that hangs in the celestial skies
It somehow reflects the love in your eyes
(c) March 21, 2024 Michael Doyle
All Rights Reserved
Posted in Poetry and Poems
Tagged Accidental Kiss, Angst and Doubt, Blindness, Bound, Celestial Skies, Close, Comes Our Way, Embrace, Explain, Eyes, Fall In Love, Feeling, Feelings, Footing, Found, God Given, Keep, Kept, Kindness, Know, Left Behind, Life, Life's Pain, Love, Love In Your Eyes, Muzzle, Not For Play, Not That Deep, Nothing, Openly Say, Place, Poetry and Poems, Promise, Purpose, Puzzle, Question, Raw, Real, Reflect, Replace, Reveal, Say, Seals the Deal, Secret, Shining Star, Slip Out, Smile, Somehow, Struggle, Tear, Tears Wept, This World, Top of the World, Tortured Mind, Truth, Walked Past, Watch, Way, Wish, Worry
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First Principles: The Constitution…Is A Mere Thing of Wax In the Hands of the Judiciary Which They May Twist and Shape Into Any Form They Please
“The Constitution … is a mere thing of wax in the hands of the judiciary which they may twist and shape into any form they please.” – Thomas Jefferson (1819)
Why does it seem that those who wish to see the Constitution as a “living document” are the same as those who wish to pull the Constitution’s flag and destroy it?
Posted in First Principles
Tagged Any Form, First Principles, Hands of the Judiciary, Mere Thing, Please, Shape, The Constitution, Thomas Jefferson, Twist, Wax
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Thought For the Day: Life Is Short. Kiss Slowly; Laugh Insanely; Love Truly and Forgive Quickly
“Life is short. Kiss slowly, laugh insanely, love truly and forgive quickly” – Paulo Coelho
Posted in Thought For the Day
Tagged Forgive, Insanely, Kiss, Laugh, Life, Love True, Paulo Coelho, Quick, Short, Slow, Thought For the Day
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No Cause To Weep
No Cause To Weep
by Michael Doyle
There is in life's turning away
Like that of a new day's dawning
The sort of thing in a man's way
Of time spent sipping lemonade under the awning
Until that day, when life simply slips away
And the miracle of love has its final say
Taking that honest man up to meet his wife
And brings the peace to end life's strife
No longer fighting for that last breath
On that day, he's no longer afraid of death
His reasons to live, in that take and give,
Was taken from him years ago when he survived
And she was no longer there to hold his hand
It was the pain he lived through to understand
The strain that God had left him to quietly care
For his children, but she was no longer there
The love of what had been a beautiful, simple life
Leaving him often in dull loneliness without his wife
And though we find much in the ways of sadness
His wife, at last, called him home from this madness
He had loved her since he was just a young boy
All that was left were the memories he enjoyed
She came to him one night in a peaceful dream
Holding him closer than love's timeless seam
With a smile on his face
He called out her name to timelessly embrace
The love that he had always known
And he returned to her in a true love shown
Their souls belonged together as two into one
And their life's journey was finally done
It's said he passed peacefully in his sleep
The smile on his face says there is no cause to weep
(R.I.P. Tom Ryker, your life's example shines
as an example of how a good love should be lived)
(c) March 20, 2024 Michael Doyle
All Rights Reserved
Posted in Poetry and Poems
Tagged Afraid, Awning, Beautiful, Belonged Together, Called Him Home, Children, Day, Death, Done, Embrace, End, Enjoyed, Fight, Final Say, Her Name, Hold His Hand, Holding Him Closer, Honest Man, Journey, Known, Last Breath, Left, Lemonade, Life, Life's Strife, Lived, Lives, Loneliness, Love, Love's Timeless Seam, Loved Her, Madness, Man's Way, Memories, Miracle of Love, New Day's Dawning, No Cause, No Cause To Weep, No Longer, No Longer Thre, One Night, Pain, Passed Peacefully, Peace, Peaceful Dream, Poetry and Poems, Quietly Care, Reasons To Live, She, Simple Life, Sleep, Slips Away, Smile On His Face, Souls, Strain, Survived, Take and Give, Time Spent, True Love Shown, Turning Away, Two Into One, Understand, Ways of Sadness, Weep, Wife, Years Ago, Young Boy
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ALOHA PROMISES FOREVER 