Don't lose sight of the People

As the holidays approach and the gadget commercials and the want-its get more strenuous, two poems that look to the uniqueness of being a person.

Competition

I like to see the eyes of my opponent

I like them to know I’m there
I like it when I watch the hope
Of victory fade from their eyes

I like to see the triumph played out

And the agony of defeat
I like to watch the satisfaction
Of a victory well-won

No vindictiveness, no taunting

No “trash-talking”, no “head games”
Play hard, play to win
But remember, it’s only a game

For the fun is in playing well

And the fun is in the challenge
The fun is in a worthy opponent
And in learning a new stratagem

Smile and laugh and do your best

Come back and play again
Life’s too short to hassle on it
But I want to see you play.

Hurry

I see them hurry, hurry, hurry,

To get the newest Things;
Keeping to the Cutting Edge.
When they pull out the Newest
Everyone else will gawk and ooh
Attention then surely gathers
But it is all about the Thing.
What do I know about Them,
And what do they know of I?
Take away the gadgets; try.
‘Cause when the Thing’s the Thing
As Asimov and Clarke had writ
Look over your shoulder, son,
Humanity’s lost a bit.
Take away my gadgets,
Look deep into my core,
Find out who I am, sir,
Invest some time, explore
The things that make us us
Without the bells and whistles
Surely you will find, my friend,
Amid the warts and thistles,
A much more interesting whole
A person, unique in all the world.
So find the time to strip away
These modern day designs
Spend some old-fashioned time
To find out who is Who.
Never let the Things take over;
Always keep control
By knowing what is human, man,
By knowing how I roll.

 

Publication

This morning I published my first ebook, a collection of poems titled Conditions, illustrated with photos taken by my friend Karen O'Malia. I have been working on the collection for about 5 months. But the excitement I felt this morning upon publication was out of all proportion to my expectations.

I have no illusions of the small electronic tome being a million-seller. In fact, at this point, I don't care if I sell any. The journey to create it and format it and actually push the button and see it available for purchase was so enjoyable and the rush of seeing it as an actual publication so large, the rest is gravy.

It was wonderful to collaborate with Karen, with whom I have been friends for well over half my life. It was also fun to get feedback from people I was both close with and others who were just casual acquaintances but who had some experience with publishing or editing or writing.

While in the formatting and pre-publishing phases I continued to work on more poems and am about a third of the way toward another volume. Generally, I think, they are getting better. But the most fun is writing them and talking about them and showing them and getting feedback.

I certainly hope I sell a few copies. I know I'll write more.