Shrouded Shore: The Many Musings of Thom Singleton

  Ekphrasis of “Le Repos,” Marc Chagall, 1968 Do you remember your dreams? Chagall remembered his - in colors and forms surreal… In the foreground of an old village, a blue-faced, half-naked girl shares a                                    smile with a floating, green-faced cow staring intently at her,                                    while between them, an adult woman, bemused, thinks of blue-faced girl, perhaps herself in her youth,                                   ...

  The Mystery of Mona Lisa’s Smile: A Relationship for the Ages The year is 1503. Leonardo da Vinci, age 51, is painting Mona’s portrait. He is enamored of the young lady and comments on her beauty.   Not to offend him, she forces a smile, but averts her eyes, so as not to meet his.  Her smile is demure, reserved, less than enthusiastic. Can you blame the poor girl?  Leonardo is old enough to be her grandfather. He does, though, get the girl. He does so on canvas, a relationship that has endured for over 500 years.

  Tears Make Rainbows      The soul would have no rainbow had the eyes no tears.                                                              John Vance Cheney                                                              Poet                       ...

  Snowflakes Are Like Humans What is snow but billions of little stars, Crystalline flakes of frost, all alike in their essence, but unlike in their form. It is what makes them so beautifully, so astonishingly, unique. They mirror us, do they not? We number in the billions. We are all human beings. We are different in our appearance, our customs, our lifestyles. But like the snowflakes, we are all stars.

  Out My Wall of Windows Out my wall of windows, an amazing sight: Ten red Christmas bulbs decorate a big spruce out back. The “bulbs,” cardinals, take turns taking flight to the feeder, Bless the snowy world with their grand color Male red birds here seem to outnumber females two-to-one. It will be “ladies’ choice” next mating season. The snow glows.  

  Our Christmas First a flurry blew then a blizzard of Christmas cards With heartfelt words from family bards Then green trees grew overnight in our living rooms With lights, tinsel, ornaments, and baubles festooned Reflected in the wide eyes of both kids and adults A mountain of bright packages under tree boughs Eager anticipation by all our young boys Then tearing open the wrapped boxes of games, shirts, and toys We had a Christmas dinner that couldn’t be beat A holiday feast to remember, a sweet Christmas treat For all our loving family, true joy and good will Love is what we’re all here for, our life to fulfill

  Bird Riddles: Who Am I? They call me “bald,” but I’m really not. I peck holes in trees. I’m insulated with down that keeps me warm even when I’m floating on icy water. I dabble for food, meaning I stick my head and neck below the water, with my butt up. I’m from Africa, way taller than a man, and can out-kick a football or soccer kicker. I’m tiny, but can fly forwards, backwards, and hover like a helicopter. I can see well at night when I’m hunting, and my call is “who cooks for you?” I’m one of the first birds to appear in spring, and like to eat worms on your lawn. I have the same name as a piece of heavy equipment with a long arm, cable, and hook. My call sounds like I’m mourning, so that’s what people call me.

  Fishing for Breakfast A cold December morning on the roaring river. An eagle in the tree overhead goes airborne as I pass, wings his way over the water, and, with a sudden dive, catches a fish in his talons. Lands far upriver. On the far shore, another eagle watches with a level of intensity, that only an eagle can, but remains motionless. Perhaps has already had his morning meal. I head home for my toast and granola.  

  Airy Light, a Riddle What is a glimmer of dawn and a glow of dusk? A gleam like glass and a gloom of fog? A glory of sunrise and a glamour of sunset? If you say “light,” would you be right? Or if you say “air,” how would you fare? How about “waves of light on an ocean of air?” That says it with poetic flair!

  A Hike With George, Age 5 George went on a hike today at the nature preserve. Or, should I say, George’s new boots took him on a hike. For, as we were walking down the trail, George stopped, pointed at the toes of his boots, and said, “If you need to know which way to go, just follow your boots. They point you in the right direction.”

  What We Know About Covid and People Viruses go viral.      People don’t contain them via vaccination, wearing masks, and social distancing. Viruses mutate.      People don’t stop them via vaccination, wearing masks, and social distancing. Viruses go endemic.       People don’t end them via vaccination, wearing masks, and social distancing. Viruses damage vital organs including the brain.      People don’t defend against them via vaccination, wearing masks, and social distancing. Viruses kill.      People reject what can save them: vaccination, wearing masks, and social distancing. Viruses change for their survival.      Can people?

  Praise      Praise does wonders for our sense of hearing.                                                 Arnold H. Glasgow Humorous, but true. Praise is the way to start any interaction. Especially if the person’s behavior at the moment isn’t praiseworthy. Their behavior is not who they are. So, work wonders. Gently counter their poor self-image. Acknowledge the beauty of their humanity. It’s what they need to hear right now.   

  Too Many Know-It-Alls      Sendo okushite fune yama ni noboru (Japanese)      Too many captains will row the boat up the mountain. Too many captains will row the boat up the mountain. Too many cooks will spoil the soup. Too many directions will confuse the child. Too many experts will wreck the works. Too many words will ruin the results. Oops, ‘nuff said. 

  New Haiku      Haiku is a traditional, Japanese poetic form, consisting of three lines of seventeen syllables,      Five in the first and last lines, and seven in the second line. Some examples… It’s a ten-point buck In the yard, a ten-point buck Eating our bird seed Thick snow coming down I can see red cardinals But not white seagulls Wisconsin winter Cold snow cold snow cold snow cold… I love your warm hugs Snow falls silently Outside deer forage for grass I graze on good words For writers, words are… Sustenance for their hunger To express their truth

  What Covid Teaches The viral battle: We’re all in this together To defeat covid  In this pandemic “We” - all of mankind - don’t win Unless we all win In this pandemic No one is safe from covid Until all are safe Do it for the team Wear a mask when in public Get vaccinated In this pandemic Your vaccine protects others As it protects you Covid will mutate It changes for its survival Humans must change for theirs

  The Wind Whispers to the Trees The wind whispers to the trees The trees wave to the sky The sky welcomes the sun The sun warms the earth The earth grows the flowers The flowers flirt with the birds The birds sing to the water The water reflects the moon The moon rules the night The night wakes the owl The owl’s eye catches mine My eyes are mesmerized

  The Eye of the Owl Walked in the wood one day, and felt a presence in the branches. Looked up, and an owl’s piercing eyes met mine, rapt by the raptor. For a forever moment, my winged teacher of the here and now.    

  Tree A mountain of green A living tower A high-rise home A silent sentinel  The living thing that is rooted to the Earth  But reaches to the heavens

  The Frog in the Well      From the Japanese, “Ido no naka no awazu taikai o shirazu.”      The frog in the well does not know the ocean. The frog in the well does not know the ocean. The frog cannot see the ocean, and, if he glimpses it, quickly retreats into his walled  world, because the reality of the ocean instills fear. Like the frog, a man who lives in a small world, governed by fear, excludes the ocean of others. One governed by fear will be incapable of loving fully. The smaller one’s world, the more limited one’s understanding and compassion. The extreme one, the narcissist, sadly has evolved no higher than a frog in a well. We all have a bit of the frog in us.  Ready, on three, let’s all hop out together.  One, two, three… The ocean!!!  

  Delicious Delicious is a tasty word. Traveling its length, it begins with “de,” de as in “delight.” The next syllable is “li,” li as in “lip, lick, lip-smacking.” What’s next for this mouth-watering word? Can you believe it? “Cious.” “Cious!” Sounds like sweet water spindrift blowing over the lips. Say it: Delicious. A sensuous word. Only one word more yummy: Luscious.

  Words and Phrases Coined by Shakespeare The Bard has been credited with coining hundreds of words. In addition, there are many phrases, first used by him, that are still in use today. Here is a piece that utilizes some of both his words and phrases, indicated by quotation marks. His “addiction” is “distasteful.” It “beggars all description.” You might think that he has “a heart of gold,” but “in my mind’s eye” your “love is blind.” I’ve seen him “pale-faced” and “puking,” having had “too much of a good thing.” His home is an “eyesore.” He comes home from his workplace, a “place of sound and fury,” “bedazzled” by the “deafening clangor,” looking to have the “milk of human kindness,” but finds there only a place of “cold comfort,” a “fool’s paradise.” I’m trying to be “impartial,” and not “sanctimonious,” but he is “bringing a plague on his house.” “Gossip” says that his wife’s love for him has “dwindled,” “more in sorrow than in anger,” due to his “lackluster” life. Maybe a change...