21 August 2020 - Plague Journal Day 161

Micah 6:8
Genesis 37:3
Yes, your life matters.

We all are still sheltering in place, but I'm here to keep you sane and entertained.
One could hardly ask for much more than that, now could one?

Today is quite a day for lovers of ice cream and its Italian cousin, gelato. It's National Spumoni Day! While many Americans think of spumoni as being synonymous with Neapolitan ice cream, in fact Neapolitan is more a subset of spumoni, modified to accommodate the American palate (and to be cheaper than traditional spumoni, which is a series of layers of gelato interspersed with fruit, sometimes with the gelato mixed with whipped cream to get even foamier (spuma = foam!). Still, multi-colored ice cream/gelato is the way to go today.

Interestingly, today is also Poets Day. In order to go all out and combine both of these celebrations, how about a poem about spumoni? It's a great word, after all, and let's give it a shot in terza rima, shall we? Signor Alighieri would be proud, no doubt.

Keep Calm and Stay Away.
I'll be back tomorrow.

Remember: the mental health issues related to our lockdown and the pandemic are especially hard for people with depression. NAMI, the National Alliance on Mental Illness, has a 24 hour helpline: 800-950-6264.

12 May 2020 - Plague Journal Day 61

We all are still sheltering in place, but I'm here to keep you sane and entertained.
One could hardly ask for much more than that, now could one?

Today is Limerick Day, and so, with no apologies to Edward Lear:

There once was a virus from China
whose impact was quite far from minor
     It made us all hide
     Whilst it waited outside
That horrible virus from China

Have a limerick of your own to share? Tag it with #PlagueJournal61 or #GrandTeutonPoetryChallenge.
We look forward to your contributions.

Keep Calm and Stay Away.
I'll be back tomorrow.

30 April 2020 - Plague Journal Day 49

We all are still sheltering in place, but I'm here to keep you sane and entertained.
One could hardly ask for much more than that, now could one?


Apparently lots of folks are concerned about the state of their coiffures. One supposes the closure of hair salons is the main (mane? ha!) source of this angst - that and the fact that today is Hairstyle Appreciation Day.
In what is, no doubt, a pure coincidence, today is also International Jazz Day.
Perhaps, then, today is the day to raname these COVID-Dos or Quarantine Coiffs. How about calleng them "free improvisations" rather than bad hair days. Now don't you feel better?

I can't find the original source, but I remember watching Ellis Marsalis talk about the art of improvisation on some TV show or other. His basic point was: If you make a mistake, just keep going until you get to where you meant to be. That's improvising.

Here's a Fabulous Bonus for Today -
It's Poem in Your Pocket Day.
I've composed a lovely haiku to enhance and encourage your celebration:

Write a poem for
Poem in your pocket day
You can sit on it

If you do write a poem today, why not post it? Tag it with these:
#GrandTeutonPoetryChallenge or #PlagueJournal49

Keep Calm and Stay Away.
I'll be back tomorrow.

29 April 2020 - Plague Journal Day 48

We all are still sheltering in place, but I'm here to keep you sane and entertained.
One could hardly ask for much more than that, now could one?

Since today is both International Dance Day and World Stationery Day, you probably expected me to suggest that you all dance in place. You know something like how Shermy danced in the Charlie Brown Christmas special. (You know, that other kid's dance - the one with the nearly-shaved head - is eerily similar to an infamous dance known as the Geyer Get-Down, but I'm fairly certain - and relieved - that there seems to be no video evidence of that bit of choreography.)
As I said, you likely expected that suggestion from me, but I noticed that it's stationEry, not sationAry and rejected that as a poorly thought out pun.

Instead, let's celebrate the glory that was Nancy Sinatra and Lee Hazelwood in a video that - to my mind, at least - is right up there with the Old Greg clip I shared back on 21 April 2020 - Plague Journal Day 40.
Thus - here for your viewing and marveling pleasure is Some Velvet Morning.

You're welcome.

Keep Calm and Stay Away.
I'll be back tomorrow.

28 April 2020 - Plague Journal Day 47

We all are still sheltering in place, but I'm here to keep you sane and entertained.
One could hardly ask for much more than that, now could one?


Here's a wonderful celebration: it's Great Poetry Reading Day!
Now, for most of us there's just not enough time to read or recite the Iliad, the Odyssey, or the Aeneid today.
Sure, we might be able to fit Gilgamesh in, but in the adventurous spirit of Captain Sir Richard Francis Burton, who believed that "all civilisation derives from Egypt," I will be reading Ishmael Reed's classic, I Am a Cowboy in the Boat of Ra.
As you might imagine, this was one of my most popular poetry readings at parties in my University days. I'm not so sure how this would go over now, but, until there are parties again, I've no way to find out.

What we can find out is how many of you are willing to post a video or audio clip of yourself reading your favorite poem. Please post with the hashtags #PlagueJournal47 and/or #GrandTeutonPoetryChallenge - your posts and tags will be most appreciated.


Keep Calm and Stay Away.
I'll be back tomorrow.