Poem for Wednesday

On Looking for Models
By Alan Dugan

The trees in time
have something else to do
besides their treeing. What is it.
I'm a starving to death
man myself, and thirsty, thirsty
by their fountains but I cannot drink
their mud and sunlight to be whole.
I do not understand these presences
that drink for months
in the dirt, eat light,
and then fast dry in the cold.
They stand it out somehow,
and how, the Botanists will tell me.
It is the "something else" that bothers
me, so I often go back to the forests.

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Poem found serendipitously, struck home in some way I can't explain and also instantly put me in mind of three fictional characters from two different fandoms. I love it when that happens.

I have a sore throat from pollen and it's going to be near 70 again. At this time of year, I love it when that happens. In a few weeks I am going to be complaining out the wazoo and begging for an allergy medication that truly has no side effects.

I want someone else to do that "pick out the five best phrases in your writing" meme for me. Because I haven't even read my Trek stories in several years, and I feel like I'm too close to some of the LOTR fic to be able to separate what's good from what just rang my bells when I wrote it.

Meme! Baaa! From my uncle.

FIRSTS AND LASTS
FIRST JOB: I got paid about $150 for five weekends to appear in a puppet show at Glen Echo Park's Adventure Theatre.
FIRST SELF PURCHASED TAPE/CD: The Saturday Night Fever soundtrack.
FIRST ENEMY: The older brother of Robin, the girl down the street.
FIRST BIG TRIP: San Francisco when I was two. I don't remember it.
LAST BOOK READ: Post Captain by Patrick O'Brian
LAST MOVIE SEEN: In the theater? Peter Pan. On DVD? Pirates of the Caribbean.
LAST BEVERAGE DRANK: Water.
LAST FOOD CONSUMED: Leftover panang curry.
LAST PHONE CALL: My younger son's friend's mother to make plans for this afternoon for the kids.
LAST CD PLAYED: Jefferson Airplane-Jefferson Starship-Starship anthology.
LAST ANNOYANCE: Some of the items that ended up in the laundry basket with my kids' laundry.
LAST SODA DRANK: Diet Vanilla Coke.
LAST ICE CREAM EATEN: Breyers Light Chocolate Chocolate Chip.
LAST WEBSITE VISITED: TrekToday.com to see if my article posted.

THINGS ABOUT ME
I AM: a reasonably happy person.
I WANT: to go to Rome after going to London next year.
I HAVE: two very loud but entertaining children.
I WISH: American voters were less stupid and irresponsible in picking their leaders.
I HATE: prejudice.
I FEAR: having my rights taken away from me.
I HEAR: singing but there's no one there.
I SEARCH: for really perfect lines in fiction and poetry.
I WONDER: why, when I try to argue with God, the guy who answers always looks vaguely like a movie version of Jesus (not Mel Gibson's -- more the Ted Neely model only with a great sense of humor).
I REGRET: not having traveled more when I was younger.
I LOVE: the sky at sunset behind Devil's Tower.
I ALWAYS: begin dialogue after lulls in the conversation with "So..."
I AM NOT: ever going to be over 5' tall. I got used to this idea in junior high school.
I DANCE: badly but enthusiastically especially if the music's disco.
I SING: even more badly and even more enthusiastically especially if alone in the car.
I CRY: more easily over movies than real-life situations.
I AM NOT ALWAYS: paying attention.
I WRITE: constantly. It's how I communicate best.
I WIN: the occasional writing competition, though it's been years.
I LOSE: every single major lottery because I never buy a ticket.
I CONFUSE: sex and love, which is why I never try to do the former casually.
I NEED: better hair conditioner, because I'm allergic to all the ones that actually do anything.
I SHOULD: stop wasting time on memes and write something substantive.

YES OR NO:
YOU KEEP A DIARY: Sort of; you're reading it.
YOU LIKE TO COOK: No.
YOU HAVE A SECRET YOU HAVE NOT SHARED WITH ANYONE: Not really.
YOU HAVE A CRUSH: Nearly always, usually on someone I will never meet.
YOU THINK YOURE A HEALTH FREAK: Bwahahaha. No.
YOU GET ALONG WITH YOUR PARENTS: Not on a deep and profound level, but yes.
YOU LIKE THUNDERSTORMS: Love them.
CURRENT HAIR COLOR: Brown, as always.
EYE COLOR: Brown.
BIRTHPLACE: Washington, DC.

FAVORITES:
NUMBER: 8 or 11.
COLOR: Green.
DAY: Friday.
MONTH: December.
SONG(S): Long list here.
SEASON: Fall.
DRINK: Sweet iced tea.
CUDDLE OR MAKE OUT: Depends who I'm with. Cuddle unless it's someone I'm intimate with.
CHOCOLATE MILK, OR HOT CHOCOLATE: Depends on the season. Usually chocolate milk.
VANILLA OR CHOCOLATE: Chocolate.

IN THE LAST 24 HOURS, HAVE YOU:
HELPED SOMEONE? Yes.
BOUGHT SOMETHING? Yes.
GOTTEN SICK? I hope not.
GONE TO THE MOVIES? No.
GONE OUT FOR DINNER? No.
SAID "I LOVE YOU"? Yes.
WRITTEN IN A JOURNAL?: Yes.
HAD A SERIOUS TALK?: Yes.
MISSED SOMEONE? Yes.
HUGGED SOMEONE? Yes.
FOUGHT WITH YOUR HUSBAND? No.
FOUGHT WITH A FRIEND? No.
FOUGHT WITH YOUR CHILDREN? Only if yelling at them to get their teeth brushed counts.

WOULD YOU EVER:
EAT A BUG? I probably already have.
KISS SOMEONE OF THE SAME SEX? I definitely already have.
HAVE SEX WITH SOMEONE OF THE SAME SEX? Yes.
BE A VEGETARIAN? I wish to hell I had the willpower.
GIVE UP EATING DESSERTS FOR A MONTH? I know I don't have the willpower.
IM A STRANGER? Probably not.
STAR IN A PORN VIDEO? For home or public consumption? I have no moral issues with this but don't really see it happening.
DYE YOUR HAIR BLUE? Probably not, unless it was for something theatrical.
BE ON SURVIVOR? No.
MAKE SOMEONE CRY? I have, several times, so I must say yes.
YELL AT YOUR CHILDREN? *straight face* No. *loses straight face and howls*
HAVE SEX MORE THAN ONCE A DAY? *straight face* Well, I am so dreadfully busy and there may be more important things to do with one's time than...oh never mind, it's not even worth trying to keep a straight face. *cracks up*