Author Archives: jackpelham

To thank a friend but onceFor an act of great kindness—Or to celebrate to him but onceSome excellence in his virtue—Seems as silly as the once-onlyHumming of one’s favorite tune.

I have never foundSo many good things to do—And so much motivation to do them—As when procrastinating aboutSome other good thing that needs doing.

Question to self: What all would I do—What all could I get done—If I were the sortWho found no necessary task distasteful,And enjoyed them all enthusiastically?

Wouldn’t it be ironicIf He were exceedingly brilliant,And we were so dull—So extraordinarily dullAnd incuriousAnd lethargic—As not to perceive it?

I ran across this meme yesterday, and thought I’d have some fun with all the possible interpretations I could imagine.

It is the fashion of some,When discoursing On matters of religion,To wax poeticAnd pompousAnd profuse,As if the facts of the matterWere insufficientAnd needed help.

Anytime you say anything,Do you say everything? If not, then why do you Take what I saidAs if that wereThe whole of my positionOn the entirety ofEverything in existence—As if my silence at the momentOn other mattersWere an indictment against … Continue reading →

The older I get,The more I understand thatThe greatest aspirationA person could possibly haveIs not any of the thingsSo many of us might think it isAt various times in our lives. It is not the aspiration toFame or fortune,Power or … Continue reading →

We all deal with life’s daily troubles, frequently without giving them a second thought. They are common place to us—the bills, the squabbles, the sicknesses. When these things happen, provided we still find them manageable, we don’t often switch into … Continue reading →

Perhaps it will come as no surprise to anyoneThat good writing takes good time. What may surprise many, however, isThat good thinking takes good time, too—