Magazine Posts

Tumbling of water
across rock and soil,
like a tea kettle
beginning to boil.
Carving a course,
willing to prevail,
making a new way,
for a water trail.

The beauty
of words,
they spread
across page,
enlightning life,
knowing how
to read.
The sound
or noise,
when spoken
out loud.
Difference makers,
rich life,
unique words.
Turn words
to music,
we develop
a useful
life, ours
and paint
word pictures,
for hour,
after hour.

NASA Astronomy Picture of the Day:

Welcome to December's solstice, first day of winter in the north and summer for the southern hemisphere. Astronomical markers of the seasons, solstice and equinox dates are based on the Sun's place in its annual journey along the ecliptic, through planet Earth's sky. At this solstice, the Sun reaches its maximum southern declination of -23.5 degrees today at 15:59 UTC, while its right ascension coordinate on the celestial sphere is 18 hours. That puts the Sun in the constellation Sagittarius in a direction near the center of our Milky Way galaxy. In fact, if you could see today's Solstice Sun against faint background stars and nebulae (that's really hard to do, especially in the daytime ...) your view might look something like this composited panorama. To make it, images of our fair galaxy were taken under dark Namibian night skies, then stitched together in a panoramic view. From a snapshot made on 2015 December 21, the Sun was digitally overlayed as a brilliant star at today's northern winter solstice position, close to the center of the Milky Way. Discovery + Outreach: Graduate student research position open for APOD

Photo by Stefan Seip

When you free wheel your words
like you did, in your verse,
you leave room for failure
and for the adverse
reaction of others like you
who have little talent,
knowing not what to do.

My mind is dry,
it thirsts for words.
I hear a sigh,
Isn't that absurd?
Your mind won't
quench this thirst
but you can try
something else first.
Try fertilizing your brain
with words abstract
and you will miss the train
as that is a matter of fact.

I can't say I loved it
when, this morning
you said to me,
"Who are you,
where do you live?"
This was the first morning
you didn't know what to do.
Did not know anything about
dressing your self.

My first Christmas way from home,
was in San Diego. I was in the US Navy,
having just turned 20 years old.
I do not recall the specifics, but
I probably "messed" (ate) on board ship,
with my new friends and then to San Diego.
Taking a water taxi ride to the foot of Broadway.
Seeing a movie. I'm sure I called my
family back at the old residence.

Far across a path,
this wide,
there was room for me,
by your side.
The troubles we've had,
these past years,
makes our bond stronger,
when we're near,
to each other, within sight,
allowing us to support,
ourselves, in the darkest night.
Stay strong my darling,
you'll always be,
alongside of me, on the
long path to eternity.

Rip out my heart,
from this aging chest.
Removing all the love,
left in this frail shell,
of living a life
in Dementia's miserable Hell.

NASA Astronomy Picture of the Day:

This picture was supposed to feature a comet. Specifically, a series of images of the brightest comet of 2021 were being captured: Comet Leonard. But the universe had other plans. Within a fraction of a second, a meteor so bright it could be called a fireball streaked through just below the comet. And the meteor's flash was even more green than the comet's coma. The cause of the meteor's green was likely magnesium evaporating from the meteor's pebble-sized core, while the cause of the comet's green was likely diatomic carbon recently ejected from the comet's city-sized nucleus. The images were taken 10 days ago over the Sacramento River and Mt. Lassen in California, USA. The fireball was on the leading edge of this year's Geminid Meteor Shower -- which peaked a few days later. Comet Leonard is now fading after reaching naked-eye visibility last week -- but now is moving into southern skies. Almost Hyperspace: Random APOD Generator

Photo by Cory Poole

NASA Astronomy Picture of the Day:

It is not a coincidence that planets line up. That's because all of the planets orbit the Sun in (nearly) a single sheet called the plane of the ecliptic. When viewed from inside that plane -- as Earth dwellers are likely to do -- the planets all appear confined to a single band. It is a coincidence, though, when three of the brightest planets all appear in nearly the same direction. Such a coincidence was captured earlier this month. Featured above (right to left), Venus, Saturn, and Jupiter were all imaged together in a line just after sunset, from the San Fermo Hills, Bergamo, Italy. Joining the alignment are Earth's Moon, and the position of the more distant Uranus. Bands of clouds streak across the sky toward the setting Sun. As Comet Leonard fades, this planetary alignment -- absent the Moon -- should persist for the rest of the month. Discovery + Outreach: Graduate student research position open for APOD

Photo by Antonio Finazzi

The water was high.
Cold to the feet.
My hip boots
had sprung a leak.
Early morning hours,
at Ocean Shores,
the Smelt were running,
so get you to work.
Gather the silvery, Smelt,
be on your way,
going home to clean
your large catch and
get your feet warm.