Haikus: July 2008

HAIKUS: July 2008

By Peter Y. Chou
WisdomPortal.com

These haikus were written as exercises in mindfulness—
an attempt to catch the fleeting moment in my daily walks,
while reading, listening to music, and pondering about life.
(Underlined words are not for emphasis but to web links.)
This web page best viewed with Times font size 14.

Tuesday, July 1, 2008, 10:08-10:18 am
KDFC 102.1 FM: Angèle Dubeau,
plays Pablo de Sarasate,
Navarra or 2 Violins & Piano, Op. 33, (1899)
(Listen), CD, YouTube

Gypsy music with
Flamenco flair wakes me up
on Canada Day. Tuesday, July 1, 2008, 1:00-3:00 pm
Mountain View: Friend takes me grocery
shopping at Walgreens, Trader Joe's,
El Chico Produce Market & Safeway

Mixed nuts, sesame sticks,
eggs, broccoli, radishes,
tomatoes, green onions,
orange juice & 5-seeds bread.

Tuesday, July 1, 2008, 7:30-9:30 pm
Stanford Theatre, Palo Alto
William Wyler directs
"Roman Holiday" (1953) starring
Audrey Hepburn & Gregory Peck

My favorite scene—
Peck flips Audrey like pancake
from one bed to the next! Tuesday, July 1, 2008, 9:40-11:40 pm
Stanford Theatre, Palo Alto
Blake Edwards directs
"Breakfast at Tiffany" (1961) starring
Audrey Hepburn & George Peppard

Audrey sings Moon River
by Henry Mancini that won
Oscar for Best Song.

Wednesday, July 2, 2008, 11:46-11:54 am
KDFC 102.1 FM: Sir Edward Elgar,
Pomp and Circumstance March #4 in G,, (1901)
(Listen), CD, YouTube

Title from Shakespeare's
Othello, Herbert' lyrics—
"All men shall be free." Wednesday, July 2, 2008, 1:45-2:45 pm
Willow Center, Lincoln Ave., San Jose
Friend takes me ballroom dancing,
and I flap my arms like a chicken

Foxtrot, rumba, waltz,
cha-cha, hustle, tango,
and Chicken Round Dance!

Wednesday, July 2, 2008, 3:20-5:00 pm
HomeTown Buffet, Westgate Shopping Center,
San Jose, Free lunch with friend

Cream of broccoli soup,
fish fillet, spinach salad,
jello, home-bread pudding. Wednesday, July 2, 2008, 3:20-5:00 pm
HomeTown Buffet, San Jose, Overheard stranger
(Tom Bariteau) talk to friend about Plato & soul

While dining, I hear
behind my table a talk
on Plato and the soul.

Thursday, July 3, 2008, 12:47-12:59 pm
KDFC 102.1 FM: Henry Purcell,
The Fairy Queen: Dances, (1692)
(Listen), CD, YouTube

Gentle spirits of the air
welcome the Sunrise while
Mystery brings in the Night. Thursday, July 3, 2008, 3:30-4:00 pm
Registrar Office, Foothill College
With Doren Robbins' email, they let me
register for Creative Writer's Conference

They let me register
early instead of waiting
until July 9th.

Thursday, July 3, 2008, 7:20 pm
San Antonio Rd., El Camino, Mountain View
Waiting for Bus #35— Sun shining on
my face as wooden bench warms my spine

Let this body be
a chalice receiving
riverrun of Light! Thursday, July 3, 2008, 7:22 pm
San Antonio Rd., El Camino, Mountain View
Waiting for Bus #35— Sitting like a Pharoah
Statue, I chant a newly made-up mantra

Gold fountain of light
soothes my silvery spine
so my pains be gone!

Friday, July 4, 2008, 10:04-10:22 am
KDFC 102.1 FM: George Gershwin,
Rhapsody in Blue (1924)
(Listen), CD, YouTube

Independence Day—
Waking up to Gershwin's tune
making my mind free! Friday, July 4, 2008, 10:27-10:31 am
KDFC 102.1 FM: Morton Gould,
All God's Children Got Wings, (1976)
(Listen), CD, YouTube

Dante felt earthbound—
Beatrice tells him to fly for
all God's children got wings.

Friday, July 4, 2008, 2:20 pm
Rhus Ridge Trail, Los Altos Hills
Meeting Ann & her friend Jack
coming back at start of our hike

Green Library closed,
so I'm hiking with a friend
on this Fourth of July. Friday, July 4, 2008, 2:40 pm
Rhus Ridge Trail, Los Altos Hills
After an uphill climb, we come upon a
Ceanothus shrub covered with seed pods

Silvery strands of
ceanothus seed pods
shine against the blue sky.

Friday, July 4, 2008, 2:55 pm
Rhus Ridge Trail, Los Altos Hills
Vista point with Hoover Tower
and Stanford campus in the distance

Giant dragonfly hovers
above me as I breathe
in this panorama. Friday, July 4, 2008, 2:58 pm
Rhus Ridge Trail, Los Altos Hills
Mt. Diablo to Fremont's Mission Peak
with Moffett Field in the distance

As far as eyes can see—
trees, water, mountains,
sky, and fire of the sun.

Friday, July 4, 2008, 3:38 pm
Rhus Ridge Trail, Los Altos Hills
2nd Vista point: Hoover Tower, Mt. Diablo,
East Bay Hill. Father & son pass by us.

Father and son pass by
and spot a tick on grass tip—
"First one we have seen!" Friday, July 4, 2008, 4:03 pm
Black Mountain Trail, Los Altos Hills
Crossroad of three trails
Rhus Ridge, Chamise, Black Mountain

Crossroad of three trails—
We turn right to Black Mountain
and start uphill climb.

Friday, July 4, 2008, 4:48 pm
Black Mountain Trail, Los Altos Hills
3rd Vista point: Mt. Hamilton
and San Jose in the distance

The fog is coming in
covering distant mountains
across the East Bay. Friday, July 4, 2008, 5:55 pm
Rhus Ridge Trail, Los Altos Hills
Man on beautiful Pinto horse
passes by us as we near end of hike

Patterns of black & white—
this Pinto horse reminds me
of a Holstein cow.

Friday, July 4, 2008, 7:30-8:40 pm
Stanford Theatre, Palo Alto
"Duck Soup" (1933) starring
Groucho Marx, Harpo Marx,
Chico Marx, Zeppo Marx

The mirror's missing
yet Chico and Harpo act
as if it's still there. Friday, July 4, 2008, 8:50-10:30 pm
Stanford Theatre, Palo Alto
"Animal Crackers" (1930) starring
Groucho Marx, Harpo Marx,
Chico Marx, Zeppo Marx

Hard to remove elephant's
tusks, but in Alabama
the Tusk-a-loosa.

Saturday, July 5, 2008, 10:17-10:31 am
KDFC 102.1 FM: Johann Sebastian Bach,
Double Violin Concerto in D minor (1731)
(Listen), CD, YouTube, Score & Notes

Double the delight
as Bach's Double Violin
Concerto wakes me. Saturday, July 5, 2008, 11:35-11:40 am
KDFC 102.1 FM: Frederic Chopin,
Fantaisie-Impromptu in C-sharp minor, Op. 66, (1835), (Listen), CD, YouTube: Yundi Li

Chopin music like
cascade of waterfalls
brings new inspiration.

Saturday, July 5, 2008, 6:57-7:16 pm
KDFC 102.1 FM: Ludwig van Beethoven,
Violin Sonata #9 in A, Op. 47 "Kreutzer" (1802)
(Listen), CD, YouTube, Notes

Violin frenzy
reflects Beethoven's inner
turmoil and breakthrough. Saturday, July 5, 2008, 10 pm
Cubberley Pavilion, Palo Alto
Ballroom dancing: East-coast swing
with Karen, Palo Alto High graduate

She's dressed like a princess
with long blonde hair and now
dancing the swing with me.

Sunday, July 6, 2008, 11:02-11:05 am
KDFC 102.1 FM: Hector Berlioz,
Dance of the Sylphs, Op. 24, (1846)
(Listen), CD, YouTube

Harp music from Faust
made him dream of Marguerite
and keeps me dreaming. Sunday, July 6, 2008, 2:15-2:40 pm
Galvez Street by Stanford Stadium
Walking the inner circle by Stadium
to cut down time to Green Library

Geometry lesson—
Walked the inner circle
trimmed time by five minutes.

Sunday, July 6, 2008, 9:30 pm
Palm Drive: Hitchhiking to Palo Alto
Cal-Train Station, Vijay, Stanford alumni
in computer science gives me ride

After walking three long blocks,
Vijay picks me up for ride
to the train station. Sunday, July 6, 2008, 9:44-10:00 pm
Riding Bus #22 home on El Camino Real
Reading "The Dangerous Mind of Mark Twain"
(1835-1910) in "Time" Magazine (July 14, 2008)

An admirable mind
coming with the Halley Comet
and leaving when it returned.

Monday, July 7, 2008, 10:28-10:33 am
KDFC 102.1 FM: George Frederick Handel,
The Faithful Shepherd Suite (1712)
(Listen), (CD)

"Where's my lost sheep?" cries
the Faithful Shepherd searching
for souls who are lost. Monday, July 7, 2008, 11:03-11:11 am
KDFC 102.1 FM: Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart,
Magic Flute: Overture, K 620, (1791)
(Listen), CD, YouTube

Freemason Brother
Mozart composed Magic Flute
to enlighten us.

Monday, July 7, 2008, 7:30-9:20 pm
Stanford Theatre, Palo Alto
George Sidney directs "Kiss Me Kate" (1953)
starring Howard Keel, Kathryn Grayson,
Ann Miller, and Bob Fosse

Tale from Shakespeare's script
The Taming of the Shrew
with Cole Porter songs. Monday, July 7, 2008, 9:30-11:20 pm
Gene Kelly & Stanley Donen
direct "Singing in the Rain" (1952)
starring Gene Kelly, Donald O'Connor,
Debbie Reynolds and Jean Hagen

Gene Kelly's romping
dance "Singin' in the Rain"
with umbrella as partner!

Tuesday, July 8, 2008, 11:43-11:58 am
KDFC 102.1 FM: Franz Danzi,
Fantasy for Clarinet on a Theme by Mozart (1818)
"Là ci darem la mano" (Listen), (CD) (YouTube)

"Let me take your hand"—
Mozart's operatic tune
on the clarinet. Tuesday, July 8, 2008, 12:03-12:15 pm
KDFC 102.1 FM: Aram Khachaturian,
Masquerade: Waltz (1944)
Listen, CD, YouTube

The world's a masked ball—
everyone's hiding something.
Let me be sunlike!

Wednesday, July 9, 2008, 9:41-10:02 am
KDFC 102.1 FM: Ludwig van Beethoven,
Symphony #3 in E flat, Op. 55 (1803)
(Listen), (CD) YouTube

Stirring music from
Beethoven's Eroica wakes me
for writing conference. Wednesday, July 9, 2008, 10:02-10:08 am
KDFC 102.1 FM: Johann Pachelbel,
Canon in D major (1680)
(Listen), CD, YouTube

Tunes from Pachelbel's
Canon calm the raging sea
so I sail through all storms.

Wednesday, July 9, 2008, 10:32-10:46 am
KDFC 102.1 FM: Tomasso Albinoni,
Adagio in G minor (1958),
(Listen), CD, YouTube

Found amidst the ruins
of Dresden, this Adagio
soars like a phoenix! Wednesday, July 9, 2008, 1:45-3:15 pm
32nd Annual Foothill Writers' Conference,
Morton Marcus, "Five Ways to Break Writer's
Block: for memorist, poets and fiction writers"

Look at writing with
a small "w"— use acrostics
to get you going.

Wednesday, July 9, 2008, 7:30-9:00 pm
Stanford Theatre, Palo Alto
"City Lights" (1931) directed, produced,
and starring Charlie Chaplin, Virginia Cherrill

Tramp loves a blind girl,
pretends to be a rich man,
heartbroken when she sees. Wednesday, July 9, 2008, 9:10-10:45 pm
Stanford Theatre, Palo Alto, Ernst Lubitsch
directs "The Smiling Lieutenant" (1931), Maurice Chevalier, Claudette Colbert, Miriam Hopkins

Lieutenant marries princess
but loves the Bohemian girl
until she becomes wild.

Thursday, July 10, 2008, 10:29-10:33 am
KDFC 102.1 FM: Fritz Kreisler,
"Liebesfreud & Liebesleid" (1935)
(Listen), CD, (YouTube: Kreisler, Joshua Bell)

Love brings sorrow
because we expect it
to be so romantic. Thursday, July 10, 2008, 11:06-11:13 am
KDFC 102.1 FM: Ludwig van Beethoven,
Symphony #3 in E flat, Op. 55 (1803)
(Listen), (CD) YouTube

Call for the hero
within you to come out—
and inspiration will flow!

Friday, July 11, 2008, 1:02-1:30 pm
32nd Annual Foothill Writers' Conference,
Room 1101, Foothill College, Los Altos Hills
Gary Young, Poetry Reading:
"The Vedas tell us" from "Pleasure" (2006)

Perfection occurs
in dreamless sleep— no desire
nor fear, just pure being. Friday, July 11, 2008, 1:55-3:18 pm
32nd Annual Foothill Writers' Conference,
Room 3305, Foothill College, Los Altos Hills
Lawrence R. Smith, "What I Look For:
A Magazine Editor's Take on Submission"

Authenticity that comes
from a deep place will
get my attention.

Thursday, July 10, 2008, 5:40-7:25 pm
Mountain View, Sufi Coffee Shop,
Virginia treats me to Sufi coffee & salmon panini
while we chat with proprietor Parviz Rasti

Spiritual wisdom served
with Sufi coffee in
an oasis setting. Thursday, July 10, 2008, 7:35-9:03 pm
Mountain View, East-West Bookstore
Russell Targ talk: "Do You See What I See"
(Teaching Remote Viewing at SRI to CIA Agents)

You're not the body
but non-local Awareness.
Separation is illusion.

Friday, July 11, 2008, 12:00-1:50 am
KSFO 560 AM: Coast-to-Coast AM
George Noory interviews Sydney Kirkpatrick
"Edgar Cayce's Readings"
Book: "Edgar Cayce: An American Prophet"

Edgar Cayce gave
medical advice in trance
that healed his patients. Friday, July 11, 2008, 12:20-12:40 pm
32nd Annual Foothill Writers' Conference,
Appreciation Hall, Foothill College, Los Altos Hills
Geri Digiorno, Poetry Reading:
A List Poem: "I Believe"

"I believe kissing
is an art and dusting
is a waste of time."

Friday, July 11, 2008, 1:02-1:30 pm
32nd Annual Foothill Writers' Conference,
Appreciation Hall, Foothill College, Los Altos Hills
Christopher Buckley, Poetry Reading:
"Eternity: a condensed spiritual autobiography"

"No one says I look 55...
This poem didn't take 5 months
and 50 drafts." This is soul talk! Friday, July 11, 2008, 8:45-9:00 pm
32nd Annual Foothill Writers' Conference,
Appreciation Hall, Foothill College, Los Altos Hills
John Solt, Poetry Reading:
Haikus from "Circling Rainbows"

"I aim high to fly low—
Poems are fish pulled up
from deep blue."

Saturday, July 12, 2008, 8:32-8:39 am
KDFC 102.1 FM: Alexander Borodin,
In the Steppes of Central Asia (1880),
(Listen), CD, YouTube

A caravan passed
this way but it cannot find
the hidden treasure. Saturday, July 12, 2008, 9:35-9:46 am
KDFC 102.1 FM: Frederic Chopin,
Piano Sonata #3 in B minor, Op. 58 (1844)
(Listen), CD, YouTube

Why Chopin's music
seems so tender? It's because
he is always in love.

Saturday, July 12, 2008, 12:15-12:43 pm
32nd Annual Foothill Writers' Conference,
Appreciation Hall, Foothill College, Los Altos Hills
Andrea Hollander Budy, Poetry Reading:
"Goodness" (13 years to write about her husband)

This breakfast moment
would be gone like that pretty
pebble dropped on the beach. Saturday, July 12, 2008, 12:45-1:07 pm
32nd Annual Foothill Writers' Conference,
Appreciation Hall, Foothill College
Carol Lem, Poetry Reading: "The Ending"
on her Shakuhachi mentor, Masakazu Yoshizawa

Teacher and student—
O Sensei, I try to match
my sound with yours.

Saturday, July 12, 2008, 1:10-1:35 pm
32nd Annual Foothill Writers' Conference,
Appreciation Hall, Foothill College, Los Altos Hills
Anne Marie Macari, Poetry Reading:
"Mary's Blood"

It was Mary's blood
made him, not even crying
"Father, Father" can change it. Saturday, July 12, 2008, 1:45-3:15 pm
32nd Annual Foothill Writers' Conference,
Andrea Hollander Budy, Writing Workshop:
"Fresh Approach, Fresh Results"— Response
Poem "Orange" to Laurie Lamon's "Potato"

Sunlight moonlight and
wind nourished it along
so we may drink its song.

Saturday, July 12, 2008, 3:30-5:05 pm
32nd Annual Foothill Writers' Conference,
Gerald Stern, Poetry Talk: "Williams vs. Eliot:
Anti-academic versus Academic Poetry"
Thomas Hardy, "Proud Songsters"

A year ago these birds
were particles of grain,
and earth and air and rain. Saturday, July 12, 2008, 5:45-5:54 pm
KDFC 102.1 FM: Domenico Zipoli,
Elevazione for Oboe, Cello and Strings (1715),
(Listen), CD, YouTube
(* Meditation on ascension to heaven *)

Ladders are not long
enough nor wings big enough
for ascending there.

Saturday, July 12, 2008, 8:20-8:53 pm
32nd Annual Foothill Writers' Conference,
Appreciation Hall, Foothill College, Los Altos Hills
Sharon Doubiago, Poetry Reading:
"100 Memories I Don't Remember"

Can't remember everything.
Can't forget anything.
Remember my first song. Saturday, July 12, 2008, 8:55-9:26 pm
32nd Annual Foothill Writers' Conference,
Appreciation Hall, Foothill College
Gerald Stern, Poetry Reading:
"Lilies": Stuck in Pocono traffic—

Student yells to him:
"I gave up everything. Thoreau
was right— simplicity."

Sunday, July 13, 2008, 12:25-12:30 pm
32nd Annual Foothill Writers' Conference,
Appreciation Hall, Foothill College, Los Altos Hills
Students' Open Poetry Reading: I read poems
of my mentors Marcel Marceau & Goethe

Honoring mentors—
how they've inspired me
to excel and do my best. Sunday, July 13, 2008, 1:45-3:25 pm
32nd Annual Foothill Writers' Conference,
Room 3203, Foothill College, Los Altos Hills
Al Young, Poetry Workshop:
"Words and Music: Sparking Creativity

Bulgarian women
elders dance in a circle
chanting village songs.

Sunday, July 13, 2008, 6:41-6:49 pm
KDFC 102.1 FM: Ludwig van Beethoven,
Symphony #5 in C minor, Op. 67 (1808)
(Listen), (CD) YouTube

dah-Dah-DAh-DAH!—
most famous four notes in music
Beethoven's Fifth. Sunday, July 13, 2008, 9:00-9:45 pm
32nd Annual Foothill Writers' Conference,
Al Young, California Poet Laureate
Appreciation Hall Poetry Reading: "Memory"

Memory— fickle
as a feather. It's feline,
meanders and meows.

Monday, July 14, 2008, 10:41-10:46 am
KDFC 102.1 FM: Erik Satie,
Je Te Veux for Piano ("I Want You") (1900)
(Listen), (CD) YouTube

Liberté, Egalité,
Fraternité— I want you
Bastille Day! Monday, July 14, 2008, 2:05-2:10 pm
KDFC 102.1 FM: Johann Sebastian Bach,
Orchestral Suite #3 in D, (1731)
(Listen), CD, YouTube, Sarah Chang

Bach is an ocean
so expansive that you
feel soaring in the air.

Monday, July 14, 2008, 12:45-2:00 pm
Mountain View: Friend takes me grocery
shopping at Milk Pail & Safeway

Box of strawberries,
alfafa sprouts, orange juice,
and salted peanuts. Monday, July 14, 2008, 4:30 pm
Palo Alto, Foothill Middlefield Campus
Watching a leaf leaping 30 feet ahead

Gust of wind sweeps this
crumpled leaf so far ahead
like Secretariat!

Tuesday, July 15, 2008, 8:00 am
Mountain View: Dreaming that Anthony Damiani's
Wisdom's Goldenrod Library has expanded from
one cabin to a luxurious multi-floor cave library

Walking down marble staircase,
I find rooms after rooms
filled with wisdom books. Tuesday, July 15, 2008, 9:48-10:07 am
KDFC 102.1 FM: Franz Joseph Haydn,
Trumpet Concerto in E flat major (1796),
(Listen), (CD) YouTube: Wynton Marsalis

Haydn's trumpets wake
me up to action— Write
the story of your life.

Tuesday, July 15, 2008, 10:07-10:14 am
KDFC 102.1 FM: Piotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky,
Nutcracker: Waltz of the Flowers, Op. 71 (1892),
(Listen), (CD) YouTube, Tchaikovsky images

I could dance for hours
to the Waltz of the Flowers—
whirling with my love. Tuesday, July 15, 2008, 10:14-10:18 am
KDFC 102.1 FM: Howard Blake,
The Snowman: Walking in the Air (1982),
(Listen), (CD) YouTube, Lyrics

Walk on earth, next on water,
then in fire, last in air—
Now you can fly!

Tuesday, July 15, 2008, 10:26-10:36 am
KDFC 102.1 FM: Antonio Vivaldi,
Four Seasons: 'Winter', Op. 8 #4 (1725),
(Listen), CD, YouTube (Sarah Chang

O winter wonders—
perfect six-cornered snowflakes
falling from the sky. Tuesday, July 15, 2008, 11:49-11:59 am
KDFC 102.1 FM: Franz Joseph Haydn,
Symphony #49 in F minor "La Passione" (1768),
(Listen), CD, YouTube

My passion is seeing
the One in the many
and the many in the One.

Wednesday, July 16, 2008, 6:30 am
Mountain View: Cleaning my apartment
for the annual city inspection. Two friends take
my bags of books & groceries to alleviate clutter.

Except for dinner-break,
spent fourteen hours throwing
away old newspapers. Wednesday, July 16, 2008, 10:09-10:16 am
KDFC 102.1 FM: Johann Sebastian Bach,
Violin Concerto #2 in E major, BWV1042, (1723)
(Listen), CD, YouTube, Guitar version

After three hours' sleep,
Bach's music wakes me with
more energy for work.

Wednesday, July 16, 2008, 9:24 pm
Shyam, Stanford alumni gives me ride to
catch Bus #22 just in time at Cal-Train
Station as I hitchhiked on Palm Drive

He knows my guru
Swami Chinmayananda—
Is this why he stopped? Wednesday, July 16, 2008, 11:00 pm-1:30 am
Mountain View: Listening to KSFO 540.1 AM
Coast-to-Coast.am: George Noory interviews
Diane Morang: "Hell, Death, & 10 Dimensions"

The seven dimensions
above us are Heaven
and Hell is two below.

Thursday, July 17, 2008, 11:28-11:35 am
KDFC 102.1 FM: Frederic Chopin,
Polonaise in A-flat major "Heroic", Op. 53, (1842)
(Listen), CD, YouTube: Horowitz

March-like melody
for the military to
rouse the hero in us. Thursday, July 17, 2008, 11:35-11:43 am
KDFC 102.1 FM: Ludwig van Beethoven,
Symphony #1 in C major, Op. 21 (1800)
(Listen), (CD) YouTube, Analysis

We see the claw but
not the lion for it chose
not to attack just yet.

Thursday, July 17, 2008, 7:25 pm
Mountain View: San Antonio Rd. near El Camino
Waiting for Bus #35 & meditating facing the sun
and feeling the warmth along my spine

My favorite bench
warmed by sunshine healing me—
best chiropractor! Friday, July 18, 2008, 9:50-10:02 am
KDFC 102.1 FM: Ludwig van Beethoven,
Symphony #9 in D minor, Op. 125 (1824)
(Listen), (CD) YouTube, Analysis

What a joy it is
waking up to Beethoven's
Choral Symphony!

Friday, July 18, 2008, 1:01-1:41 pm
KDFC 102.1 FM: Robert Schumann,
Symphony #3 in E-Flat, Op. 97 "Rhenish" (1850),
(Listen), CD, YouTube

Enjoy the castles
and vineyards of the Rhine
before Lorelei sinks you. Friday, July 18, 2008, 4:00 pm
Stanford Oval: Graduate School of Business
Standing on the stump of Pioneer Oak
a 222-year old tree that fell last month

You were as old as America
and now you're gone—
Peace be with you!

Friday, July 18, 2008, 7:30-9:55 pm
Stanford Theatre, Palo Alto, Anatole Litvak
directs "All This and Heaven Too" (1940)
Bette Davis, Charles Boyer, & Barbara O'Neil

House #55— soul of the universe:
Hell for the duchess,
Heaven for the governess. Friday, July 18, 2008, 10:05-11:55 pm
Stanford Theatre, Palo Alto, Herman Shumlin
directs "Watch on the Rhine" (1943)
starring Paul Lukas & Bette Davis

Lillian Hellmann's play—
propaganda on dangers
of Nazis and fascism.

Friday, July 18, 2008, 6:45 pm
Galvez & Serra Street, Stanford University
Full Moon (July 18, 2008, 7:59 Greenwich Time)
Native American Full Moons

Full Moon of July
sends lunar blessings— Buck Moon,
Blood Moon, Thunder Moon! Saturday, July 19, 2008, 3:18-3:24 pm
KDFC 102.1 FM: Jules Massenet,
"Thaïs: Meditation" (1894),
(Listen), CD, YouTube: Anne-Sophie Mutter

This music always sends
my soul to that space filled
with angelic light.

Sunday, July 20, 2008, 10:37-10:41 am
KDFC 102.1 FM: Johannes Martini,
"Plaisir d'amour" (1785), adapted by
Elvis Presley, "Can't Help Falling in Love" (1961)
Listen, CD, YouTube

Elvis used this tune
of Martini from two centuries
ago for his "Falling in Love" Sunday, July 20, 2008, 10:41-10:51 am
Home in Mountaain View listning to
KDFC 102.1 FM: George Frederick McKay,
"Meditation: Song over the Great Plains" (1954),
(Listen), CD, Mckay's Music

Song over the Great Plains—
meditation music on
nature's grandeur.

Sunday, July 20, 2008, 10:55-11:05 am
KDFC 102.1 FM: Domenico Zipoli,
Elevazione for Oboe, Cello and Strings (1715),
(Listen), CD, YouTube

Ascend the mountains
for the panoramic view—
Breathe in the fresh air. Sunday, July 20, 2008, 1:30-4:00 pm
Mountain View: Friend takes me to Rasputin
for books exchange and shopping at
Office Depot and Safeway for groceries

Translucent plastic
folders, ruled paper, raisin bran,
orange juice and milk

Monday, July 21, 2008, 1:02-1:27 pm
KDFC 102.1 FM: Max Bruch,
Violin Concerto #1 in G minor, Op. 26 (1868),
(Listen), CD, YouTube, Notes

First the flutes then solo
violin and orchestra
with dance and fireworks. Monday, July 21, 2008, 6:23 pm
Foothill College Computer Lab #4201: Reading
Robert Bly's Ghazal "Courting Forgetfulness"
in "The New Yorker" (July 21, 2008)

Thanks for forgetfulness
so our mind is less cluttered
to remember more .

Monday, July 21, 2008, 6:35 pm
Los Altos Hills, Foothill College
Computer Lab #4201: Foothill colleague
Mimi Wills drops in lab to say hello

She's not seen me in months
we chat of lab changes.
Give her my "Orange" poem. Monday, July 21, 2008, 7:23 pm
Mountain View: San Antonio Road
Sitting on bench waiting for Bus #35
& meditating facing the setting sun

Let this chalice be
empty so Sun may fill it
with golden light!

Tuesday, July 22, 2008, 5:00-6:50 am
Home in Mountiain View: Writing a ghazal
"Courting Remembrance"— response poem
to Robert Bly's ghazal "Courting Forgetfulness"

Remembrance & Forgetfulness—
two sides of the same coin
called Consciousness. Tuesday, July 22, 2008, 4:43-4:56 pm
KDFC 102.1 FM: Remo Giazotto used
a fragment of Tomasso Albinoni to compose
Adagio in G minor (1958), (Listen), CD, YouTube

Such haunting music
stirs the soul to remember
its celestial home.

Wednesday, July 23, 2008, 9:29-9:33 am
KDFC 102.1 FM: Camille Saint-Saens,
Carnival of the Animals: #13 The Swan (1886),
(Listen), CD, YouTube

Socrates dreamt of a swan—
The next day Plato came
to become his student. Wednesday, July 23, 2008, 10:20-10:34 am
KDFC 102.1 FM: Enrique Granados,
Spanish Dance #5 'Andaluza' (1892-1900),
(Listen), CD, YouTube

The matador serenades
the fair maiden with
his song and bravado!

Wednesday, July 23, 2008, 2:00-9:00 pm
Green Library, Stanford University
Found Chu Hsi's "Reflections of Things at Hand"
for Notes to "Courting Remembrance"

Be attentive to
things at hand— Be mindful
of everything you do. Wednesday, July 23, 2008, 9:25-9:45 pm
After hitchhiking for 4 long blocks,
Paul Wingate (Venture capitalist) gives me ride
home and 5-word haiku by Thich Nhat Hanh

Thich Nhat Hanh's simple
advice: "To be happy—
Help yourself!"

Thursday, July 24, 2008, 10:06-10:14 am
KDFC 102.1 FM: Johann Sebastian Bach,
Goldberg Variations (1742),
(Listen), CD, YouTube

Dream of Bly reading
"Lemon" poem, late for dance—
Waking up to Bach. Thursday, July 24, 2008, 11:11-11:19 am
KDFC 102.1 FM: Johann Sebastian Bach
(Listen) (CD) (YouTube), (1725)
Anna Magdalena Bach Notebook: Little Suite

After the elves dance,
a pilgrimage to the grotto
for prayer to the Virgin.

Thursday, July 24, 2008, 2:00-3:00 pm
Mountain View: Friend takes me shopping
at Milk Pail & El Chico Produce Market

Alfafa sprouts, radishes,
green onions, baby bok choy,
red leaf lettuce, red grapes,
and cherry tomatoes. Thursday, July 24, 2008, 7:22 pm
Mountain View: San Antonio Road
Sitting on bench waiting for Bus #35
& meditating facing the setting sun

O Sun! Bless this soul
who strives to be one with all—
Shine your Light in me!

Friday, July 25, 2008, 12:21-12:30 pm
KDFC 102.1 FM: Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart,
Symphony #41 in C major "Jupiter", (1788)
(Listen), CD, YouTube (NY Times Science News)

Jupiter's Red Spot
swallows up the baby one
in the whirlwind storm. Friday, July 25, 2008, 2:48-2:51 pm
KDFC 102.1 FM: John Williams
E.T.'s Flying Theme (1982)
(Listen), CD, YouTube

ET's Flying Theme
uplifts our spirit so we
too can soar upward.

Friday, July 25, 2008, 6:00-6:30 pm
Serra & Galvez Street, Stanford University
Sharing poetry with friend under giant
California Live Oak on a swing bench

When you remember,
everything seems old. When you
forget, things seems new.
Friday, July 25, 2008, 8:29-8:34 pm
KDFC 102.1 FM: Johann Sebastian Bach,
Orchestral Suite #3 in D, (1731)
(Listen), CD, YouTube, Sarah Chang

Bach's music always
stirs the soul to that space-time
of silence and peace.

Saturday, July 26, 2008, 9:19-9:28 am
KDFC 102.1 FM: Ludovico Einaudi
"The Waves" (2003)
(CD) (listen), YouTube

Waves go in and out
from Ocean of Consciousness
sweeping me awake. Saturday, July 26, 2008, 10:59-11:07 am
KDFC 102.1 FM: Carlos Gardel
Scent of a Woman: Tango (1935)
(Listen), CD, YouTube, 1992 Film

Sensuous tango—
dancing in sync & in love
like Fred & Ginger.

Sunday, July 27, 2008, 10:06-10:12 am
KDFC 102.1 FM: Ludwig van Beethoven,
Piano Sonata #8 in C "Pathetique", Op. 13 (1798)
2nd movement, (Listen), (CD) YouTube

Slow keyboard notes like
baby steps trot out at dawn
waking me from sleep. Sunday, July 27, 2008, 11:00-11:11 am
KDFC 102.1 FM: Aram Khachaturian,
Masquerade: Romance (1944)
Listen, CD, YouTube

Be true to yourself—
There's no need for masquerade
when you are awake!

Sunday, July 27, 2008, 9:30 pm
Palm Drive, Stanford University
After walking for three long blocks,
Betty & May, two teenage daughters of
Stanford medical professor gives me ride

Hitchhiking— a gift
from driver to rider that's
a lift to the heart. Sunday, July 27, 2008, 9:40 pm
Palo Alto Cal-Train Depot
After librarian tells me that professor
from Carnegie-Mellon died, I knew it was
Randy Pausch, and confirmed it in the news.

Randy Pausch— he lived
an authentic life and was
audacious in death.

Monday, July 28, 2008, 10:05-10:22 am
KDFC 102.1 FM: Johann Sebastian Bach,
Double Violin Concerto in D minor (1731)
(Listen), CD, YouTube, Score & Notes

Refreshing to wake
up to Bach's Double Violin
Concerto in D Monday, July 28, 2008, 10:32-10:38 am
KDFC 102.1 FM: Jules Massenet,
"Thaïs: Meditation" (1894),
(Listen), CD, YouTube: Anne-Sophie Mutter

Meditation makes
your mind peaceful and more
if you sit and be still.

Tuesday, July 29, 2008, 10:04-10:11 am
KDFC 102.1 FM: Emmanuel Chabrier,
España: Rhapsody for Orchestra (1883)
(Listen), CD, YouTube

Sunshine from Spain where
science does not reign but passion
inspires art and song. Tuesday, July 29, 2008, 10:11-10:24 am
KDFC 102.1 FM: Luigi Boccherini,
Guitar Quintet #4 in D major, "Fandango" (1798),
(Listen), CD, YouTube, Notes

Fiery music beats
make my feet stomp to
the rhythms of castanets.

Tuesday, July 29, 2008, 2:00-6:55 pm
Los Altos Hills, Foothill Computer Lab #4201
Bookmarking & Reading "11 Best Foods to Eat"
(New York Times, 6-30-2008)

Beets, cabbage, cinnamon,
prunes, pomegranate juice,
turmeric, and blueberries.
Tuesday, July 29, 2008, 7:30 pm
Mountain View: San Antonio Road
Sitting on bench waiting for Bus #35
& meditating facing the setting sun

Facing setting Sun
I sit as a scribe soaking
sacred strands of Light.

Wednesday, July 30, 2008, 12:00-12:07 pm
KDFC 102.1 FM: Ludwig August Lebrun,
Oboe Concerto #5 in C major (18th century)
(Listen), CD, YouTube

A sweet lullaby
to rock the baby to sleep
or just to relax. Wednesday, July 30, 2008, 12:30-2:45 pm
Palo Alto & Mountain View: Friend takes
me grocery shopping at Walgreens,
Trader Joe's, Milk Pail and Safeway

Cauliflower, radishes,
fish fillet, pomegranate juice,
blueberries and red grapes.

Wednesday, July 30, 2008, 3:30-7:30 pm
Los Altos Hills, Foothill Computer Lab #4201
"Monterey Haikus" & "Selected Poems 2008"
for Richard & Arlene Hanauer's visit

A seagull and friends,
Nature's four elements and
the Lone Cypress Tree. Wednesday, July 30, 2008, 7:50-8:20 pm
Mountain View, San Antonio Road
Waiting for Bus #35 on bench and seeing
flocks of birds flying away from sunset

Some fifty birds fly
away from the sunset
heading for Burger King!

Thursday, July 31, 2008, 10:08-10:11 am
KDFC 102.1 FM: George Frederick Handel,
Solomon: Arrival of the Queen of Sheba (1748)
(Listen), CD, YouTube (I Kings, X.1-13)

666 gold pieces
Sheba gave to Solomon—
sign of the Beast? Thursday, July 31, 2008, 10:30-11:40 pm
Mountain View, Eagle Park
Richard Hanauer shows laptop video of trip
to San Antonio, Alamo, Yosemite, Monterey

Beauty of nature
with lovely classical tunes
and I'm in their film.

Thursday, July 31, 2008, 11:50-1:10 pm
Los Altos, Chef Chu Restaurant
Richard & Arlene treat me to lunch.
I give them "Selected Poems 2007-2008"

We enjoy a hearty
lunch as I tell about
poetry with Robert Bly. Thursday, July 31, 2008, 7:25 pm
Mountain View, San Antonio Road
Waiting for Bus #35 on bench while
saluting the Sun for all its blessings

This bench warms my spine
while sunlight shines on my face—
Surya Namaskar!