“While we are contending for our own liberty, we should be very cautious not to violate the rights of conscience in others, ever considering that God alone is the judge of the hearts of men, and to him.” – George Washington
No longer the young poet, but grown older He remained the lyric voice of his generation A social parasite who lived ever bolder As an involuntary exile held in veneration
Told he was pornographic and destroyed by an anxiety Not his, but belonging to short sighted guardians of society That held him as contemptible in his velveteen pants Gray breakers marched in turn, in a truth no one recants
Joseph Brodsky was imbued in his sense of clarity Writing lyrics reflective of life with intensity Praising the best of the western literary tradition His words passed on through metaphysical transmission
Writing in languages is the highest degree of maturity It was troubling as a crime to find it inappropriately Kept from the lonely and weary lost in the cold night When the roots of Mother Russia sought his guiding light
In the breadth of time and in the endless space Treated as a sluggish schizophrenic in the Soviet embrace Condemned for daring to be a poet in his honest guise The authorities never understood their reality was his disguise
(c) January 15, 2021 Michael Doyle All Rights Reserved
“Far from being rivals or enemies, religion and law are twin sisters, friends, and mutual assistants. Indeed, these two sciences run into each other. The divine law, as discovered by reason and the moral sense, forms an essential part of both.” –James Wilson, Lectures on Law, 1791
“Cowardice asks the question, ‘Is it safe?’ Expediency asks the question, “Is it politic?” Vanity asks the question, “Is it popular?” But, conscience asks the question, “Is it right?” And there comes a time when one must take a position that is neither safe, nor politic, nor popular but one must take it because one’s conscience tells one that it is right.” – Martin Luther King, Jr., civil-rights leader (15 Jan 1929-1968)
Consciousness is who we are Equally near as it is far Past every bit of memory Rather in sadness or reverie
Past the loops of improvisation That edges us toward our creation Teetering there on the edges of madness Are the glimpses beyond the sadness
Each step must be made on our own Into the maze of thoughts we thought gone This is what drives us onward to survive The answer lies within to being truly alive
To get to the point of our reconstruction We must move through the placid destruction Of all that we believed in once before Past the lies and through that open door
Even ghosts know that love holds the vital key When given in truth and held on to purely In the end we know that nothing else will do Life is impeccably hold in this pristine view
In all of the mystery there is one deep question To be reached without doubt or any hesitation That is do we have the needed zest of will power To collect on the gifts given to us this hour
Deep inside the gates of the narrow meditation Delivered only by the utmost honor and dedication It is in essence the liberation of our dignity And in it is the freedom found for all humanity
(c) January 14, 2022 Michael Doyle All Rights Reserved
“My fondest hope for each one of you — and especially for the young people here — is that you will love your country, not for her power or wealth, but for her selflessness and her idealism. May each of you have the heart to conceive, the understanding to direct, and the hand to execute works that will make the world a little better for your having been here. May all of you as Americans never forget your heroic origins, never fail to seek divine guidance, and never lose your natural, God-given optimism. And finally, my fellow Americans, may every dawn be a great new beginning for America and every evening bring us closer to that shining city upon a hill.” – Ronald Reagan
Beware of snake oil peddlers who would sell you the quixotic idylls of the neverland of socialism. As seen by the drive to divide us under the name of “unity”, the racism of “antiracism”, and the promises of prosperity for the low skilled by raising minimum wages beyond a business’s ability to pay only to find America becoming more automated and workers replaced by machines, the founding principles of our republic (not “democracy”) work, socialism does not and never has.
Heading out of Australia to escape this Aussie winter. First stop Japan, then UK/Ireland and if work doesn't call me back, onto Chicago. I will make it up as I go along
