Spring Greens ...

Green rain 

Into the scented woods we'll go 

And see the blackthorn swim in snow. 

High above, in the budding leaves, 

A brooding dove awakes and grieves; 

The glades with mingled music stir, 

And wildly laughs the woodpecker. 

When blackthorn petals pearl the breeze, 

There are the twisted hawthorn trees 

Thick-set with buds, as clear and pale 

As golden water or green hail-- 

As if a storm of rain had stood 

Enchanted in the thorny wood, 

And, hearing fairy voices call, 

Hung poised, forgetting how to fall 

Mary Webb, (25 March 1881 – 8 October 1927)

Snowing ....

Almost Easter and it is snowing here in the UK - at least in my bit of it at any rate. So no White Christmas but maybe we can dream of a "White Easter"....

White Easter

Frozen feathers
Fall from leaden skies,
Trees like lace
Each tiny twig enrobed in white.
Birdsong hushed,
Our footfalls, muffled,
Tread with care
The icy pathways of the town.
Flowers dream, as we,
Of warmer days,
Sun dappled grass,
And hang their heads to wait awhile
Beneath the snow.

Amararti

AMx 

Łazienki Park

Beneath the trees ....

I held your hand

The path before us straight,

Sun dappled,

Seemed unending.

Beneath the trees ....

We walked,

Thoughts and fingers

Intertwined,

Step matched to step.

Beneath the trees ....

We spoke

Our shared dreams,

And whispered promises.

Beneath the trees ....

Your fingers slipped my grasp.

As the path turned to shadow

I walked a pace behind.

Beneath the trees ....

I followed

As darkness fell between us

Our thoughts unspoken

In the silence

Beneath the trees ....

Amararti, June 2011

Samhain ....

Samhain

 

Summer's end

Is laced with woodsmoke

Accented by frost

Leaves are crisp underfoot

The light has fled

Early from the sky

The darkness of the year

Begins tonight

Amararti

Happy Halloween

AMx

(Sent from Samsung mobile)

Wedding Wishes ....

Well, I know of one lovely couple that are getting married very, very soon. So for them and anyone else who is taking that walk down the aisle ... or maybe pledging their lives to each other on a beach, in a garden, a forest, a castle ... or even on twin bungie cords, who knows ... may the sun shine on your day and the rest of your lives together.

This goes out to all of you:

A Wedding Wish

Now shines the sun on this our pleasant land
And field and hedge are clothed in green and white,
Now to this perfect setting, hand in hand,
Come two, so dear to us, their troth to plight.

Now gather kith and kin from every part
To witness vows exchanged betwixt these two.
True meeting 'tis of mind and soul and heart.
Their love shall grow as each day dawns anew.

Now wish we all, for you, upon this day,
A life of love, of harmony, of bliss.
To have, to hold, to honour and obey,
A heartfelt promise made, sealed with a kiss.

From all of us who cannot be there too,
Warm wishes, hopes and fondest love to you.

Amararti

AMx

Friendship ...

Did you know that there is a drink called "Three Stages of Friendship" ? Found this on drinknation.com:

Combine the following in a shot glass:

1 part Jack Daniel's
1 part overproof Rum (151 proof)
1 part white Tequila

it gets a 9/10 rating - mind you, only 2 votes so far - presumably the rest are still passed out in a gutter somewhere .... lol. Mind you - further research turned up a different recipe for friendship on drinkswap.com. They recommend the following - again combined in a shot glass:

1 oz Vodka
1/3 oz Tequila
1/3 oz Bourbon

Mmm - oh well - I guess you can have more that one friend - at any stage.

The most important ingredient (apart from a bottle of Tequila!) would seem to be a good friend to catch you as you fall off the barstool, to pick you up out of the gutter and to support as you stagger home. Maybe those are the three stages of friendship.

Or maybe - after the introductions, the getting to know you stage, the steady growth of regard and trust - a good friend, a close and lasting friend, is someone who will not judge you for your shortcomings, someone who understands you enough to know when to pick you up when you are down and when to leave you where you fell, to lie on your back and contemplate the stars (although they might check you for head injuries and throw a blanket over you before leaving you to your contemplation). Above all a friend is someone who you can trust to be there to take care of you when you need it. After all - you would do the same for them ...

Good friends are few and far between, in a world full of billions of people how many do we truly connect with at anything more than a superficial level? While many would argue that they are happy with their own company the reality is that your own company can be an emotional wasteland. Of course friends can hurt you, and who could hurt you more than someone who knows you inside and out? But to deny yourself friendship because of the risk of getting hurt is really to commit emotional suicide and condemn yourself to your own lonely wasteland.

On that note:

Beneath The Shell

A curtain of hostility I wove
between myself and you to save me pain.
Resolved to live my life bereft of love,
sure that my work would always keep me sane.

I had no need for friends, called no man brother.
Stepped back from friendship well before the start.
No time for sister, family or lover,
Let quest for new discoveries shield my heart.

But I must reassess my self control.
I see now how our lives are intertwined
and I myself must play a leading role
to safeguard all the fragile ties that bind.

From friendship and from love I will not flee.
No man can be an island now I see.

by Amararti

Treasure your friends,
AMx

Fateful Day ...

Ripped from my soul - in honour of "Sunday" ...


What can I say ...
It wasn't your fault ...
Mythology has it that each of our lives is but a thread spun out by the Fates - three sisters who are blind to and uncaring of the loves and friendships of the mortal world. One spins, one measures and one cuts the thread .... they truly are The Powers That Be ...

Don't dispair ...
AMx

The Perils of Fatherhood ...

Would Rodney McKay (SGA) make a good father?

We may never find out - unless the script writers resurrect a storyline abandoned in the planning of season 4 (if Joe Mallozzi is to be believed -- and I can never be quite certain when he is joking). McKay has always seemed to be as allergic to kids as he (supposedly) is to lemons. But, just as an actual allergy to citric acid, given its presence in all mamalian life forms (remember the Krebs Cycle?) is almost unheard of -- maybe Rodney's intolerence to children would also prove insubstanial as his need for a family makes itself felt.

We may never know, but there again:

Someday ... Maybe ...

Yes, yes, I know that we once children were.
But really 'tis a time best left forgot.
The adult world I really much prefer,
so please don't face me with some snot-nosed tot.

Maybe they should remain inside a cage
To save them from themselves, you understand,
Until they've gained more suitable an age
to pay their way and lend a helping hand.

But here is one that greets me with such glee,
and as I look down on her upturned face,
her little arms wrapped tight about my knee,
that look of love fair makes my poor heart race.

That tiny hand in mine does not feel bad,
Know what? I'd someday like to be called ... Dad

by Amararti
(inspired by 'McKay & Mrs Miller')

McKay a father ... imagine that ...

There are however perils and pitfalls to be considered, sleepness nights and 4am feeds, diapers, teething, tantrums ... riding the carousel (again Daddy!) with a smile even though your adult inner ear has matured to a point where motion sickness is a very real concern ... and then there is ice skating ... you've skied down black runs many times so how hard can donning a pair of skates and taking to the ice really be? Anything for her ... who could resist those big green eyes, that impish smile ...

Two hours later, from A&E you phone your (wiser, much wiser) better half ... "um - the doc says it's broken in three places ... "

And later - your right arm in plaster to the elbow ... your broken wrist aching like a son-of-a-bitch - you ponder ...

Was it worth it?


For her ... for that smile ...

Of course it was.

To all the Dads out there, you're doing a great job - keep it up ...
AMx

( ... and yes, my day has been kind of ... interesting ... )

Days Off Are Dangerous ...

Ooookaaay ... this what happens when you have free time & a sore throat and are consequently hepped up on cold remedies ... I feel no pain --- but I'm sure to hate myself in the morning ...

RAP BACK AT YA DH ...

Yo Slug White Nerd
we hear what you say.
You give us the word
and the freedom to play
on the Forum you created
to get your Movie rated
by all who drop by
to give it a try.
You Blog and we comment
and MySpace - we're on it!
And then there's Technorati
Hell yes, we'll join the party!
Visit Mars there on Dogster
what else are your fans 'fur'?
Oblivious to flames
and accused of playing games,
you write it,
we Digg it,
and watch your back
and take the flak
from the misanthropic minds
of the cynics on the Web.
And now there is Twitter
And what could be fitter,
for the biggest geek we know,
to keep us posted on the show
by using his cell
to save us from the hell
of not knowin'
what he's doin'
every minute of the day.
So ... hey ...
we're all on the hook,
an' that's clever in my book,
all waitin' to see
your illusive movie.
So quit messin' about
tell us when it's comin' out?
For Real...
Dude...?

by Amararti

... and may I offer this heartfelt apology to all who thought they knew me ....
;) you know the rest ...
AMx

Tao of Rodney ...

One careless moment ego steers me wrong.
My coding is unraveled and re-made.
But early fear of changes fly ere long
and role of super hero now is played.

Now say you I must lay my burden down
and cease to seek to find all answers sought,
use softer words than those for which I'm known,
I must relinquish self, become as naught.

Sorrow, and love for me from each good friend,
but wait, as now I float in darkness vast,
and seemingly my journey nears its end,
the light of realisation dawns at last.

All is not lost, myself I can regain.
Awake to find that "Yes, I'm me again!"

by Amararti

For all those of you who love Stargate Atlantis, Rodney McKay (as portrayed by David Hewlett) and this very special episode in particular.

No copyright infringement intended - just showing my appreciation ...
AMx

Haiku-a-Thon - The Birthday Surprise

A little while ago (well it was on April 6th to be exact) I thought up a nice little idea to start a thread going on the dgeek forums over on the A Dog's Breakfast Movie website.

The pitch went something like this:

I've always been impressed by this poetic form (Haiku) and
its ability to, with few words, sum up the essence of
a thought, a feeling, a moment or in this case
a Stargate Atlantis episode.

So for those of you who don't know the form is three lines
first line 5 syllables, second line 7 syllables, third line 5 syllables
so 5 - 7 - 5 ... ok. An alternate shorter form is 3 - 5 - 3 ... either will do.

See if you can guess the episode ..... then have a go yourself

Me first:

at the end floating
in darkness inspiration
re-awakens self

Well the thread bumbled along as threads do, gathering a little momentum and more Haiku along the way. So I started to record the offerings in a list, thinking, oh ... this will make interesting reading if we ever complete the 60 verses necessary to cover the first three seasons of Atlantis sometime next Christmas .... Then .... three days ago the thing suddenly took off big time .... !!!

So followed 200 or so posts, three nights with almost no sleep (as my main playmates were situated on the other side of the Atlantic) ... and most importantly ALL 60 Haiku - and then some!!!

The main impetus for this? Well ... although I had thought it but not said anything, someone eventually did suggest that the completed Haiku project would make a nice birthday gift for one Mr. David Hewlett, Writer and Director of and Actor in A Dog's Breakfast and also (of course) the man behind the outrageously snarky (but exceedingly loveable) Dr. Rodney Meredith McKay in Stargate Atlantis.

Many, many, many thanks to Pixel, dpainter, ankhmutes, Icarus, Shawna, Becky S, Netty, and Scifi_lemon who share authorship of what follows with myself, Amararti. The Haiku have no titles but appear in season and episode order (be warned though - some episodes have more than one Haiku). There may be SPOILERS towards the end for those of you who have yet to see the back half of Season 3.

if you want to play guess the episode then you might prefer to take a look a the PDF version first - it is also prettier!

So here we have it: Atlantis from Rising to Flying - the story so far ...

Season 1

the challenge offered
to fly through unexplored skies
cannot be ignored

salvation this time
surface of empty ocean
breached by gleaming spires

something harmless, small,
to fuel a man's obsession...
and a new courage

to thread the needle
should have been routine now lives
hang in the balance

our new friends are close
new enemies seem closer
should we link the two

bird falls from the sky
treasure tempts to lead astray
never felt so old

folly of the people
weapon hidden inside them
their decision made

not all that they seem
facade covers so much more
hid 'neath secret doors

misty illusions
false reunions, where are we?
live to try again

evil incarnate here
with elemental force
threatens our city

a calm in the storm
slaughter fear uncertainty
city in peril

you cannot have her
not while I draw breath nor shall
engulfing ocean

truth in a mirror
my life restrains his desire
my death is my gift

a frightening death
slow, but sudden, right on time
cured for some too late

another eden
desire for companionship
leaves vulnerable

a perfect lady
mysterious, beautiful
much more than she seems

Sleeping Beauty wakes
deja vu heroism
doom but all safe now

trust misplaced
our dream of power
snatched away

loved ones far away
cannot know all we saw and
did before we died

fears, suspicions reign
nightmares frighten, stir self-doubt
blessing in disguise

not the first nor last
tragic noble sacrifice
made to buy us time

maybe I'm crazy
but someone has to do it
I guess it's goodbye

Season 2

thought I had lost him
sometimes, death comes way to close
for now, luck wins out

a killer lurking
one to fight with brains not brawn
a page from Sheppard's book

was lost but now found
stronger, faster, but yet less
now one lost again

a solo player
your thoughts are no counterpoint
inharmonious

trapped on an island
cruel and unusual
now the great escape

trust the sacrifice
at the altar of ego
not infallible

vulnerable child
but do not be deceived for
her bite is deadly

never felt like this
remarkable, yet scary
like a bad, bad dream

a call from my home
moving through the dark after
centuries asleep

Peter Pan bids us
battle pirates in the sky
and we must follow

timidity lost
raw power surges through me
enemies vanquished

eternal
lost in a bubble
where are you?

now he thinks I'm smart.
he's gonna get it from me!
damn Canadian...

a warning from home
explosive situation
force crossing a line

lost, alone, afraid
wisdom comes to comfort me
it's been a bad day

noble lords rule serfs
misery for those who toil
rebellion comes

rescue just in time
grant true lovers a farewell
headed for divorce

a treasure offered
a team missing or slaughtered
a power toppled

double helix morphs
evil stripped away it seems
too good to be true

a group of people
trapped at the end of a world
best way out is through

can we believe them?
new friends with everything we need
wolf in sheep's clothing

Season 3 (may be spoilers)

in desperate straits
cocoons hatch and migrate back
must follow the plan

you'd think I would learn
meddling with people this way--
people I should save...

see the world a new
should have listened from the start
so don't remind me

the home I once loved
ghosts memories violence
time to finish it

corrupted offspring
of an ancient race - cold fire
of hatred fuels them

harsh reality
life is a waking nightmare
yearning for return

I had never thought
to be saved by such a one.
Neither had my friends...

how can he not know?
it isn't freedom, it's fear.
not me, not at all

sister sees double
one of these is not quite right
but it's a nice change

how can we fight it
what we fear the most turns one
against the other

I had to leave to
realize that I belong
this is my true home

they are in our minds
so plant a seed - a falsehood
to deceive them all

Doctor Dolittle
questions rise in nightmares
helios the key

familiar faces
one conniving, one evil
get what they deserve

at the end floating
in darkness inspiration
re-awakens self

playing with their lives
McKay and Sheppard face off
it's SIMS Atlantis

actions have impact
make amends and discover
you are not a god

survival of sorts
hollow victory for one
now shepherd them home

just another day
mistakes, choices, the results
but why? why this day?

realization dawns
friendship lost forever, I
face the day alone

a very deep sleep
literally, not unlike
a watery grave

everyone's below...
so who's running the city?
Heightmeyer and Lorne

new friends go missing
through mazes to new terror
danger still to come

offense from afar
poking a sleeping dragon
our enemy's back

.... the story ... as they say ... continues .............