Poem for Wednesday

The Generations I Praise
By Jalaluddin Rumi
Translated by Coleman Barks

Yesterday the beauty of early dawn
came over me, and I wondered
who my heart would reach toward.
Then this morning again
and you. Who am I?

Wind and fire and watery ground
move me mightily because they are pregnant
with God. These are the early morning
generations I praise.

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Again older son had high school orientation in the morning, so since I was driving in 's direction we went out for lunch at California Tortilla with my kids. I usually get lost when I am on that side of the Beltway but I have now done it two days in a row, so hopefully I am improving! Finished a major editing project in the afternoon, sorted some stuff that needed to be organized for the beach next week, tried to catch up on mail.

In the evening sat down with the kids who had on The Simpsons eighth season which they have been working through slowly since older son got it as a Chanukah present and discovered that "The Springfield Files" is in that set...the one with Leonard Nimoy as himself and Duchovny and Anderson as Mulder and Scully, where Mr. Burns is an alien who sings "Good Morning Starshine" with Nimoy and the rest of the town and the FBI lineup includes Chewbacca, Marvin the Martian and Alf...there are references to everything from Close Encounters to Plan 9 From Outer Space to Waterworld and I forgot just how awesome that one is!


The male polar bear at the Maryland Zoo enjoys his private swimming pool...


...but the female, whom the keepers suspect may be pregnant, isn't in the mood for moving around so much.


Neither is the cheetah, though he did get in some roaring and tree-spraying while we were there.


The sitatunga were cool and camouflaged in the long grass.


And hungry goats paraded after a zookeeper hoping for a nibble.

I have so much to do in the next three days! My father is taking the kids to the pool tomorrow but I need to find another bathing suit for older son and need his body with me to do it, and I need to clean the house so does not scream when she sees it. Eee!