League of Inveterate Poets

Posted By Foolish Sage on July 28, 2010

This song, from Alibi Coast, the new album by Sebastian Blanck, raises important questions on many levels, from the political to the cosmological.

I wrote a novel on the wall
With every line and with every thought
The ceiling fell until I was caught
By an angel who wanted it all
An angel who wanted to be the devil
And he thought ‘nother house to me he could be

If God asked me to get my gun
And asked me to give it to my son
Well I know I’ll never understand
Why I would have to give my child to him

What do you believe?
Would you kill another man
For the Empire of the Free?
What do you believe?
Would you kill another man?
Would you kill me
For the Empire of the Free?

If God asked me to get my gun
And asked me to give it to my son
Well I know I’ll never understand
Why I would have to give my child to him

You can download the song for free here.

Category: It`s All About Me | View Comments
Tags: lyrics, Music, poetry, Politics, Religion and Spirituality, Sebastian Blanck, Sebastian Blanck Alibi Coast, Sebastian Blanck Empire of the Free

Posted By Foolish Sage on July 27, 2010

I’ve never before used a post here to promote  a product or service, but I’m going to make an exception for an exciting new concept: Bookswim: Unlimited Book Rentals, Delivered to Your Door.

Bookswim is like Netflix for books. You “rent” an unlimited number of books per month, delivered right to your door, for one low flat monthly fee. Here’s how it works:

1. Find the books you want, from hardcover new releases to paperback classics.
2. Add books to your Rental Pool— your personal “To–Read” list— with one click.
3. Receive your welcome package of books automatically. No checkout process!
4. Return your books in the included prepaid mailing envelope.
5. Repeat. As soon as we receive your returns, your next books ship.

That’s it! No matter how many books you receive in a month, your fee stays the same — so the more books you read and return, the more you save.

In addition, a portion of your paid membership will come back to help support the League of Inveterate Poets if you use one of the links or banners on this page when you sign up. Also, if you purchase a Bookswim gift card for someone within 45 days, that helps us out too. Thanks!

Category: It`s All About Me | View Comments
Tags: books, Bookswim, Netflix

Posted By Foolish Sage on July 26, 2010

“A parable is a brief, succinct story, in prose or verse, that illustrates a moral or religious lesson. It differs from a fable in that fables use animals, plants, inanimate objects, and forces of nature as characters, while parables generally feature human characters. It is a type of analogy.” (from Wikipedia)

When those of us from  a Christian background hear the word “parable,” we almost invariably think first (or exclusively) of the parables of Jesus, such as “The Good Samaritan” or “The Prodigal Son.” What most of us probably don’t realize is that teaching via parables was not something Jesus originated. Rather, he was working from a well-established tradition of teaching through story.

In our day we are seeing a renaissance of not only the art of storytelling in general, but also the storyteller as teacher, preacher, and prophet.

Among the best practitioners of this skill is playwright, humorist, author, and raconteur, Dylan Brody. His stories bring you to tears and then make you chuckle. But they almost always make you think, and come to understand your own humanity a little better.

Here are some examples of my favorite parables of Dylan Brody.

Hats Off to Tradition. Though raised in a very secularized Jewish household (his father used to intone “Abracadabra alacazam;  we light the candles; we don’t eat ham” over the Channukkah lights), young Dylan didn’t have much connection with the world of faith. To please his religious grandfather he begins wearing a hat (in lieu of a yarmulke). The hat leads him to an encounter with the unfairness of the world, but ultimately an encounter with light.

An Ancient Zen Parable That I Wrote a Few Years Ago. After experiencing a painful rejection, our hero learns that just because you suffer, it doesn’t mean the universe is against you.

True Romance (Video). In a short one-man play set to music, Dylan faces a moment of imagined temptation with a beautiful young checkout girl. In the end, he chooses True Romance.

*   *   *   *   *

Shameless Self-Promotion Department: I invite you to check out my own storytelling–inspired by the likes of Dylan Brody, Jean Shepherd, and Benjamen Walker. Check out the League of Inveterate Poets Podcast.

Category: It`s All About Me | View Comments
Tags: Dylan Brody, dylan brody ancient zen parable, dylan brody stories, dylan brody tradition, dylan brody true romance, parables, stories, storytelling

Posted By Foolish Sage on July 21, 2010

In the movie Inception, the wife of the main character reminds him that when he asked her to marry him, he told her that he had had a dream, “that we would grow old together.”

As I mark my 53rd year today, I have no greater dream than to grow old together with my beloved LSW (Long-Suffering Wife), Karyn.

In a recent post I gave some details about my current battle with cancer. Aside from the normal “I could get hit by a truck” risks of life, this has been the first and only major threat to the fulfillment of that dream. Before this I knew 52 years in which my only time in a hospital was to get a couple stitches in my lip after bumping into my car’s steering wheel.

At times I’ve been tempted to give up the fight. “Times”…who am I kidding. Just a few days ago I felt like giving up the fight. Chemotherapy makes me wretchedly ill for days on end. I have two more chemo infusions, and the thought of volunteering to do that to myself two more times seems almost unbearable at times. I just want to quit and take my chances.

And then I have that dream, the same one the protagonist of Inception had. I see Karyn and me, strolling down a lane, hand in hand. I see my lovely daughters and grandchildren, now grown and finding dreams of their own. And I’m ready to fight on.

Life is not guaranteed from one moment to the next. But it is worth living.

Category: It`s All About Me | View Comments
Tags: Dream, Film, growing old, inception, It`s All About Me, karyn, Leonardo DiCaprio, love

Posted By Foolish Sage on July 20, 2010

Cory Doctorow - From Wikipedia

I write like Cory Doctorow. Proof: http://iwl.me/s/31398c21

Category: It`s All About Me | View Comments
Tags: It`s All About Me, writing