by Julia Griffin For Mary; after Ben Jonson “Scientists [in 2013] showed that Ronan, a resident of the Long Marine Laboratory at the University of California, Santa Cruz, was the first nonhuman mammal who could be trained to keep a beat, including moving in time with music. … Researchers recently decided to test the 15-year-old sea […]
by Julia Griffin For Tam “A Michigan federal judge… ordered an East Lansing, Michigan, firm called Dragon Lawyers PCto stop plastering its pleadings with a large, suit-clad purple cartoon dragon, saying it’s not only ‘distracting, it’s juvenile and impertinent.’”—Law360 A purple dragon in a business suitWill render an attorney’s action moot.From this unprecedented case we […]
by Julia Griffin “Historians dispute Bayeux tapestry penis tally after lengthy debate: Two Bayeux scholars at loggerheadsover whether dangling shape depicts dagger or the embroidery’s 94th phallus”—The Guardian Experts differ on the tallyOf Bayeux’s embroidered phalli.It’s agreed by both our sourcesThere are 88 on horses,But the 16 fixtures danglingFrom the men have sparked some wrangling.One […]
by Julia Griffin I.M. Fannie Dressler “Healing soup recipes, Part 2: Definitely not your grandma’s chicken soup!”—NPR Not, not my grandma’s. She has gone(A loss we never can recoup),But still the legend lingers onOf her incomparable soup. How did she do it? We don’t know.A chicken; onion; water; salt;Alas! We never watched her, soAll this […]
by Julia Griffin “Cockles, Mussels and Bodyguards: Dublin Acts to Protect Molly Malone StatueThe city said it would provide stewards for its statue of the folk song figure—and repair its bust, which has been damaged by excessive touching.”—The New York Times (To the tune of “Cockles and Mussels“) For Barbara, again In Dublin’s fair city,Where […]
by Julia Griffin “’Personnel that should not have been cut, were cut,’ Kennedy told reporters on Thursday.‘We’re reinstating them. And that was always the plan … [W]e’re going to do 80% cuts, but 20%of those are going to have to be reinstated, because we’ll make mistakes.’ … A program by the Centersfor Disease Control and […]
by Julia Griffin For Tam “Kristi Noem wears $50,000 watch in El Salvador prison”—The Washington Post What time is it, Governor Noem?El Salvador’s different from home;It’s six when the sun there has risen:There’s no Daylight Time in that prison; There’s also no privacy there,And no one gets sheets or fresh air;But then, as we know […]
by Julia Griffin “Dolphins welcome NASA astronauts stuck in space back to earth”—NASA TV Welcome, my fellow-humans, gone so long!(So long, in fact, one could have given birth.)Don’t let these cheerful dolphins steer you wrong;There have been certain changes here on earth. Oh, dolphins’ lives are crazy, honestly:They live where they can’t breathe! But understand,To […]
by Julia Griffin For Barbara Lee Smith (After the lyrics of Rouget de Lisle) “Give us back the statue of Liberty!” cried Raphaël Glucksmann, leader of the Place Publique party…addressing ‘Americans who have chosen to go over to the tyrants’ side’”—translated from Le Parisien Allons, enfants de la patrie,It’s time to face the USA!Now they’ve […]
by Julia Griffin “Norfolk woman refuses to hand over 16th-century Italian painting identified as stolen…Barbara De Dozsa’s husband bought Madonna and Child by Antonio Solario in 1973after it was stolen from a museum”—The Guardian Antonio “The Gypsy,” tinker’s son,Venetian painter of indifferent fame,Painted St. Benedict in Naples, came,Apparently, to England, painted oneVirgin and Child in […]
by Julia Griffin “Athena, a probe launched by the Texas-based company Intuitive Machines (IM)last month, touched down about 250 miles from its intended landing sitenear the moon’s south pole on Thursday … showing an ‘incorrect attitude’. …On Friday… IM declared Athena dead.”—The Guardian The Grey-Eyed One, offspring of Zeus’s brain,Goddess and comrade, bounty-giver, guideTo heroes, […]
by Julia Griffin “Two executive orders from Trump address religion directly. One forms a task forceto counter ‘anti-Christian bias’ in the federal government. The other establishesa Faith Office in the White House.”—NPR The split of church and state is disappearing, none too slowly,As Government assumes the obligations of a mission;Faith Offices are certified, presumably, as […]
by Julia Griffin “French far-right leader cancels US speech after ex Trump aide Bannon appeared to make ‘Nazi gesture’”—The Guardian “Elon Musk appears to make back-to-back fascist salutes at inauguration rally”—The Guardian In Democracy’s Last Chance Saloon,They appear to be giving salutes;But none should too swiftly impugnThese seeming saluters as brutes: Though they’re lifting their […]
by Julia Griffin Earth’s poor need USAID?Earth’s richest man does not agree:The agencies have all gone dumb,Which means belt-tightening for some.Pubescent geeks have changed the locks;Now drugs are sitting on the docksIn Port Sudan: you say they’ll rot?Tell one who cares, for DOGE does not.The scientists are muzzled, soThe climate’s fine, for all we’ll know;We’ve […]
by Julia Griffin “Donald Trump Jr accused of killing protected bird in Venice lagoon:Italian politician said a video posted online showed Trump Jr with a ruddy shelduck while on hunting trip”—The Guardian If somebody says to you “Venice,”What image occurs to you first?Pink marble or shadowy menace?Fair Portia or Shylock, accursed?Bellini, or Otway preserving?Du Maurier […]