May 2023
CAN A TRIP TO THE BATHROOM inspire a poem — and is poetry intended only for English classes and literature textbooks?
To find out, you’re invited to read this newest post from A Slow Life in the FAST Lane:
• Let’s get this clear — the best poetry isn’t meant for English-major types and literary elites, but rather for everyone — after all, I believe every human being is a living story and poem and movie script, all rolled into one — do you believe this too?
• The vocational pastor of the New Jersey church where I grew up, Julian Alexander, spoke about a line from the Ephesians letter — “For we are God’s workmanship aka masterpiece aka handiwork” — and explained that the Greek word utilized here is poēma … and yes, this Greek term is the root of the English word poem
• On a Sunday morning in my teenage youth, he told our Willow Grove church assembly of humans: “You are God’s poem — let that blow your mind”
• What he didn’t say then, as far as I recall, is that every human being will choose whether they want to be God’s unraveled new-creation human poem (aka a good poem) or a twisted old-creation human poem (aka a bad poem) — and this human decision, dovetailing mutually with God’s decision, will essentially determine each person’s destiny — and while he didn’t explain that on the Sunday in question, I believe this is a key corollary facet of the poēma reality … and certainly, this is is what many witnesses have proclaimed for centuries
• See the Poetry Notes below for definitions of a few words and some related thoughts connected to the following sonnet — aka poetic human message — that is meant for everyone who cares to read further…
Yes, you are invited to join in as I aim to share here part of my journey that somehow dovetails with everyone’s human journey — and I invite you to share your journey too, as you so choose, whether in the “Leave a Comment” section or via another blog platform or otherwise:
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OUTDOOR COMMODE — take a hike and a leak —
and bluebird flits to bathroom … I wonder
now: How did Adam name fauna — unique
names for each, creative nomen-thunder-
-clature — sum-times seems Greek to me — and some
question: Did one dude truly give beast-names
to animals — snout, beak, trunk, nose knows — dumb
one and all? So chic — yet do creature-claims
here on earth speak surely of One Divine
Son’s freakish-geekish seeking artistry,
proclaim loudly sans words as stars align
with — and are peak signs of — Mary’s weakly
spoken Word … as clearly as Narnian
persons, one for all, voice-christen Aslan?
© Bruce William Deckert • May 2023
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— POETRY NOTES —
DEFINING TERMS
In a brief poem, surely every word counts — in that light, following is a brief glossary of words that might be less familiar, in the order they appear, with definitions from online dictionaries that correspond with their usage in the sonnet above:
commode • noun — toilet
flit • verb — to pass quickly or abruptly from one place to another
fauna • noun — animal life: especially, the animals characteristic of a region, period or special environment
nomen-thunder-clature • noun — you can search for this word in the dictionary, but don’t expect to find it because I came up with the term on the spot, as a playful variation of the word “nomenclature” — the immediate goal was to rhyme with “wonder” and the added benefit of this made-up hyphenated word is the intimation of the apparently powerful and thunderous aspect of the naming process
nomenclature • noun — name, designation — the devising or choosing of names
chic • adjective — cleverly stylish — currently fashionable
chic • noun — stylishness and elegance, typically of a specified kind — a faddishly popular stylishness or appeal
sans • preposition — without
Narnian • adjective — related or pertaining to Narnia
Narnia • proper noun — a made-up magical land conceived by C.S. Lewis via his seven-book series The Chronicles of Narnia — a domain populated by talking animals and mythical creatures and properly ruled by human beings under Aslan’s ultimate authority
Aslan • proper noun — the main character of The Chronicles of Narnia, a talking lion who is the Creator and One True King of Narnia, the Great Lion, the King above all High Kings in Narnia, the Son of the Emperor-Beyond-The-Sea — derived from the Turkish word for lion — in the world of Narnia, Aslan corresponds to Jesus of Nazareth as He is presented and described and proclaimed in the New Testament documents, rooted in the Old Testament documents, and attested by multiple other historical sources — the same One who is called the Son of God and Son of Man, the Highest Authority and King in the universe who has and holds the Name above all names
ORIGIN STORY
The seed for this poem originated and was planted, as I recall, in the early summer of 2022 just as I began a walk-and-talk with a longtime colleague on the Farmington River Trail in Collinsville, Connecticut.
While this sonnet doesn’t explicitly mention the creation-evolution debate, this apparent dispute is intrinsically connected to the poem’s theme — indeed, this debate-dispute-discourse has engulfed and fascinated our society and academia since Charles Darwin published “On the Origin of Species” more than 150 years ago.
Darwin’s book was printed and disseminated in 1859 — at least, most historians and scientists and literary types seem to universally agree this is the year his evidently influential work was produced. Yet how can we know this is accurate aka true?
Let’s consider this question and revisit it another time.
And if you’re wondering: When I refer to “Origin Story” — yes, the pun regarding human origins is both intended and inherent.
DEFINING SPORTS
Since this blog focuses on faith-and-sports topics, each post in FAST Sonnets in Cyberspace has a sports connection, naturally — in this case, hiking.
But is hiking a sport? Most online sources I found via a Google search for “is hiking a sport” say the answer is no. Do you agree?
In my opinion, many human endeavors that aren’t necessarily considered sports can be turned into a game — so in my book, yes, hiking can be considered a sport.
Another more oblique sports connection is the reference to “Greek” in the sonnet’s fifth line — given the link between Greece and Olympic history.
SONNET SCHOOL
What is a sonnet, exactly? Given my experience as an English major and high school English teacher, I thought I knew the essentially definitive answer.
However, as I researched the term sonnet while writing this post, I learned how much more there is to learn about the amazing and classic and intense and magical and splendid communication form known as the sonnet.
So to understand more, let’s go to school — and as the best philosophers and dictionary publishers advise, let’s define terms — in this case by visiting the impromptu FAST Sonnet School:
• sonnet • noun — 14-line poem with 10 syllables per line and a specific pattern of rhymes at the end of each line — this definition is my paraphrase and a compilation of several dictionary definitions
Word to the Wise — If you are satisfied with the definition of sonnet in the previous paragraph, you may disembark from this amusement-park ride now — however, if you choose to stay on this roller-coaster train, please buckle your seatbelt and remain seated for the rest of this topsy-turvy linguistic journey:
• The 10 syllables per line can be described as iambic pentameter — and in the next two bullet points you will find (hopefully) simpler explanations of these two potentially obscure literary terms
• The word iambic is listed in Merriam-Webster.com as an adjective or noun — with the apparent root word iamb — and an iamb is a group of two syllables, consisting of one short syllable and one long syllable
• In this usage, the word pentameter refers to a line of poetry comprised of five iambs — equaling 10 syllables — and the prefix penta- comes from the Greek term pénte — or five, per Dictionary.com
• Shakespearean Sonnet — Among the various types of sonnets, a Shakespearean or English sonnet features three four-line stanzas (aka quatrains) and a closing couplet — the above poem is essentially a Shakespearean sonnet, albeit with a modified and unconventional closing couplet
• Various sonnet types have various rhyme repetitions, known as a rhyme scheme — that is, the pattern or sequence of rhymes at the end of each line — and Shakespearean aka English sonnets have the following rhyme scheme — abab cdcd efef gg
• Sonnet Origins — The word sonnet is derived from the Old Occitan term sonet that means “little song” per online sources — Occitan is a Romance language spoken in southern France and parts of northwest Italy and northern Spain, according to various sources — a Romance language is a language that developed from Latin, such as French or Italian or Spanish, per Merriam-Webster.com
• In my view, the sonnet is one of the best poetic structures for the time-challenged and smartphone-distracted residents of the 21st century — instead of lengthy and time-consuming and potentially laborious free verse, the sonnet offers a brief power-packed literary roller coaster •
Here’s hoping you’ve enjoyed the ride!
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— MORE POETRY NOTES —
— If you have time to keep reading further fascinating info —
SONNET REVISIONS
More than one writing guru has extolled revising and rewriting as a virtue — comparable to tending a garden through pruning and weeding.
• “Rewriting is the essence of writing well: it’s where the game is won or lost” — so says William Zinsser in “On Writing Well: The Classic Guide to Writing Nonfiction” — and by the way, I’ll say the same principle applies to fiction, poetry and every other type of written message, as far as I can see •
• Revising a sonnet is a special exercise — language is jam-packed with so many latent and abundant and multi-layered meanings that can barely be contained in prose •
• With poetry — and especially the friendly and disciplined confines of a sonnet — each word counts exponentially … perhaps exponentially is a hyperbolic term here, but surely every single syllable in a sonnet costs more, coming at a higher premium than a prose-used syllable or word, so a one-word change can be monumental •
• Several lines in this sonnet experienced revisions and makeovers as I transplanted this poem, so to speak, from the original handwritten version in an old-school maroon notebook to a Pages word-processing document on a MacBook Air and then to WordPress — here are a few before-and-after revisions, with the changes underlined:
Original
…and some / question: Did one dude truly give these names / to animals with snout, beak, trunk, nose — dumb / One and all? Come to think, do creature-claims…
After — Take 1
…and some / query: Did man verily give beast-names / to animals with snout, beak, trunk … knows? Dumb / one and all? So chic — yet do creature-claims…
After — Take 2
…and some / question: Did one dude truly give beast-names / to animals — snout, beak, trunk, who knows — dumb / one and all? So chic — yet do creature-claims…
After — Take 3 — in the sonnet above
…and some / question: Did one dude truly give beast-names / to animals — snout, beak, trunk, nose knows — dumb / one and all? So chic — yet do creature-claims…
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Original
…proclaim loudly without words — stars align…
After — Take 1 — in the sonnet above
…proclaim loudly sans words as stars align…
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Original
…as clearly as Narnian / persons, one and all, point to Aslan?
After — Take 1 — in the sonnet above
…as clearly as Narnian / persons, one for all, voice-christen Aslan?
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In my opinion, the revised sonnet is better for these makeovers — what is your opinion? Feel free to share your perspective via the “Leave a Comment” link below.
TRAIL MAP FOLLIES + FORESIGHT
Here’s a brief note regarding the nomenclature — in other words, the name — of the Farmington River Trail referenced toward the top of these Poetry Notes, in the “ORIGIN STORY” section:
Upon further review, I checked Google Maps and encountered some confusing designations and multiple trail names — confusing to me, anyway. An ironic twist, given the naming theme of this poem.
According to the Google map that’s on my computer screen as I type these words, this popular pathway isn’t actually called the Farmington River Trail in Collinsville, a distinct village of the town of Canton, Connecticut — not to be confused with Canton, Ohio home of the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
This iconic rails-to-trails boulevard has at least three names in Canton, per Google Maps. Yes, it bears the Farmington River Trail moniker from the Canton Shops on Route 44 going west to River Road aka Route 179 — but then the trail takes a sharp left-hand turn and heads south into Collinsville.
Appropriately, this section of the pathway is called the Collinsville Walking Trail per Google Maps and runs into historic Collinsville, taking a slight left-hand turn as it crosses Route 179 — in another potentially confusing twist, this section of 179 is no longer River Road but rather Bridge Street.
Here, the third trail name comes into play — the Farmington Valley Trail runs concurrently with a Main Street sidewalk, the online map indicates, though only for a stone’s throw after taking that slight left off Bridge Street, and then continues south toward the trail’s footbridge over the Farmington River.
Aren’t you glad you visited A Slow Life in the FAST Lane today?
The next time you’re playing a trivia game and the topic is the trail system in Canton, Connecticut, you’ll be as prepared as a Boy Scout or Girl Scout and you’ll be ready to come to the rescue of your trivia team, like the Coast Guard — for the Guard’s service motto is Semper Paratus, aka Always Ready!
If you wonder how I know this, the answer is twofold:
• 1 — My son is a health-care professional in the Coast Guard, a domestic-focused military affiliate and the only branch of the U.S. Armed Forces in the Department of Homeland Security.
• 2 — As a fact-checking safeguard, I confirmed this motto info via the U.S. Coast Guard Academy website.
THE DEFINING WORD
By the way, my experience is that Google’s maps are helpful, but far from foolproof. The broader category here is the following: Technology is awfully beneficial, except when it isn’t — and especially when it’s awfully harmful.
The Google Maps platform is surely and sorely in this ballpark — Google’s maps are quirky and tricky in such a way that while they can shine light and point in the right direction, they can likewise mislead and misdirect.
As far as I can see, this is the common human experience with virtually all written and visual communication — from the CDC’s COVID guidance, to the instructions accompanying an assembly-required Christmas gift, to a computer manual, to a coach’s work-hard-and-always-hustle injunction, to the Bible itself.
To those who belong to the Church: Are you questioning whether the Bible — aka God’s Word — can be misleading?
Absolutely, the Church affirms that the Bible will shine light on our path throughout our earthly sojourn — yet mis-utilized, the Bible will shine light on the absolute wrong path — and that pathway will lead not to eternal life but to destruction, the Church asserts.
Who and what is the source of such a haunting yet hopeful assessment of the Scriptures, aka the sword of the Spirit?
• First, the “what” answer — the very Bible that the Church proclaims as the written Word of God carries this caveat like an insidious parasite on a viable and healthy living organism: Remember the account of Jesus’ temptation in his biographies ascribed and attributed to Matthew and Luke — commonly known as the Gospels according to Matthew and Luke?
What did Jesus’ enemy quote in a direct attempt to trip up Jesus so He would not only fall — and crash-and-burn — but also fail miserably in His human-and-divine rescue mission?
God’s sworn enemy — who is said to be hell-bent on forever harming and never benefiting human beings — directly quoted God’s own written Word as an apparently viable way to derail Jesus … like a terrorist planting a destructive bomb that somehow appears to be a healing balm on a passenger airplane.
Yes, God’s Google Maps tool — known as the holy and healing and ultimately health-giving Scriptures, aka the Holy Bible — can equally be an unholy and poisonous and ultimately harmful map tool when utilized inaccurately and mistakenly, whether in a naively unwitting way or a deliberately deceitful way.
Mind-boggling and maddening, yes — yet also a sad but true reality, as far as I can see.
Some classic lyrics by gifted songsmith Bruce Cockburn — a poem-spinning and storytelling Canadian treasure among countless other Canadian treasures — apply here:
• Sunset is an angel weeping
Holding out a bloody sword —
No matter how I squint I cannot
Make out what it’s pointing toward
…
Sometimes the best map will not guide you —
You can’t see what’s round the bend —
Sometimes the road leads through dark places —
Sometimes the darkness is your friend •
—Bruce Cockburn • Pacing The Cage
• Second, the “who” answer — Jesus of Nazareth Himself is the source of this assessment of the Scriptures.
The Bible proclaims Him not only as God’s incarnate-and-crucified-and-risen Son, but also as the human-and-divine Living Word who can and will properly arbitrate and elucidate and translate God’s human-and-divine written word, aka the Bible. Remember, when He was presented with a presumably wise course of action via God’s written word — by His sworn enemy — He resisted the persuasive temptation by appealing to, yes, God’s written word. In other words, Jesus knows the proper timing and the correct interpretation regarding how and when to apply the Bible’s written instructions.
To those who don’t belong to the Church: Are you questioning whether the Bible is reliable at all and whether Jesus’ victory over death in sudden-death overtime — aka His Easter resurrection, as described and defined in the New Testament — is a reality?
Vis-à-vis my doubts, in my best moments I believe that Jesus of Nazareth is essentially the Most Real Person in the universe and thus the Best Person to ultimately follow and listen to and trust on our shared flesh-and-blood journey — and He’s the Ultimate Best Teacher to ask the questions posed in this blog post, along with every other question that has ever been asked or ever will be asked by we mere human beings who desperately and surely need His new-creation solution for the life-and-death questions and conundrums we inevitably face in our human quest to discover the meaning and message of life.
In other words: Jesus is the decisive Person and the defining Word across human history.
To all those who belong to the human race:
What do you believe about the value of poetry and storytelling, and the meaning of life, and the life-and-death reality of Jesus of Nazareth?
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If you’ve read this far — thank you and kudos to you!
Thanks for taking the time to stop by… and it’s safe to say I got carried away with this blog post, by far the lengthiest FAST Sonnets in Cyberspace entry in the history of A Slow Life in the FAST Lane.
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In February, I also got carried away (so to speak) when I penned by far the lengthiest publisher’s Leading Off column in the brief history of Today Publishing — here is that commentary article:
• Contemplating marriage, divorce and genocide
For those who don’t know, I produce a monthly publication called Today Magazine via my role as publisher and editor-in-chief of Today Publishing — in a significant way, this has been a necessity-is-the-mother-of-invention venture marked by many twists and turns and ups and downs. Yes, the roller-coaster metaphor comes to mind again.
Another metaphor occurs to me: If ESPN Digital Media — one of my former employers— is a 20-something media empire of sorts, Today Publishing is a mere preschooler among media outlets.
ESPN Digital Media is the rebranded newer identity of ESPN. com, the website that launched in April 1995, and therefore the math is clear — ESPN Digital Media turned 28 years old last month. Meanwhile, Today Publishing turned 4 years old in October 2022.
Today Magazine tied 50-year-old Connecticut Magazine — perhaps the state’s most well-known publication — for the most first-place mag awards in the Society of Professional Journalists contest in 2022.
• Today Magazine wins 12 more SPJ awards
Today Publishing debuted with Canton Today Magazine in October 2018, added Avon Today and Simsbury Today in April 2019, and then combined as tri-town Today Magazine in July 2019 before branching out as a full-fledged Farmington Valley publication in July 2020 — covering the heart of the Valley and recording the underreported upside of the Valley community.
We focus on these five core Valley towns — Avon, Canton, Farmington, Granby and Simsbury — yet our news coverage encompasses and includes and incorporates Greater Hartford and Greater Torrington and, in significant ways, the entire state of Connecticut as well as all of New England, the entire United States and the far-flung global human community on planet Earth.
Yes, Today Publishing covers the heart of the Farmington Valley via community news that matters nationwide and worldwide.
How is our coverage national and global, you ask?
Here’s one simple answer — we’ve featured a cover story about adoption in October 2022 and about foster care in May 2023. Correct me if I’m wrong: These two topics are national, global and universal in scope … in my opinion, anyway. What is your opinion?
Today Publishing is the DBA name (doing business as) of BWD Publishing LLC, the media outlet I established in January 2018. Our first publication appeared nine months later.
Take care, Godspeed, and onward and upward in this proverbial journey of life and storytelling +
© Bruce William Deckert • May 2023
A Slow Life in the FAST Lane 